けいおんがくクラブのこころ(heart of the light music club)
by Nightshade McArthur
Summary: What will happen to the girls of Hokago Tea Time now that the school's gone Co-ed. Set in season two, so Azusa is second year an the rest of the band are in their last year. Rated M just in case. (My writing style can get a little... lewd, even with the humor :3) Thanks to JayxNitro (and google translate, Jyo-sensei would kill me :/) for the title :)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N; ok, so I've decided to finally post this, even though I do still have other things that need finishing... But hey, Digression is my middle name, or it would be if it wasn't...**

 **hah, see what I did there? :3**

 **Anyway, I've told you the date, I will only do this a couple of times, simply to give perspective on when the day changes, and how much time has passed between chapters. So if I don't give you a date at the start of the chapter, assume it leads on from the last, so it's either the next day, or the same day, 'kay? ^_^**

 **Enjoy my very first K-on fic, the (C)overlords :3**

11th of April

3:40pm, on the way to the clubroom

Azusa walks to the club room in a hurry, she'd gotten a text message from her senpai that they had some new prospective members. Supposedly they were new students that were in her year, just arrived today.

She opens the door in a rush, excited to see her new fellow club members...

What she sees when she opens the door is three guys in what looks like a male adaptation of their school's uniform.

"Oh, Azusa-chan. Meet the new club members; Yuji Shimada, Mikeru Kyoku and my younger brother; Hideyoshi Akiyama." As she names each new student, Mio indicates them one by one.

Pointing out Yuji first she waves her hand in the direction of a student roughly an inch taller then Yui, making him nearly four inches taller then Azusa. His hair is cut to sit just above his shoulder, giving him a slightly delinquent appearance, deterred by the way he carries himself, _no delinquent would walk or stand like that... What the hell? Is his hair white?_ These thoughts race through Azusa's mind as she continues her assessment. His eyes are hazel and he's a little wider then the average student. _He looks kind of bear-like_ , Azusa thinks to herself.

The second student she introduces; Mikeru is almost half a foot taller than Yuji, and fairly thin, giving him a slight "beanpole" appearance. His hair is red and spiked, his eyes a bright green. _This one sort of reminds me of a scarecrow..._

The final new member was Hideyoshi, Mio's little brother. He's roughly the same height as Azusa, maybe even a little shorter. His hair, the same rich ebony as Mio's, sits around his chin, framing his face and giving him a slight feminine look. His eyes are a vibrant light blue colour. He looks almost more girl-like than his sister.

Azusa looks at Mio with confusion sprawled across her face.

"But Mio-senpai... I thought this was an all girls school?"

"It was, but they changed that at the start of the term, the boys will be integrated into the classes as of tomorrow morning. They came to school today to get their schedules, familiarise themselves with the campus and join any clubs they might like the look of..."

"And now we have new members.. Isn't that great Azu-nyan?"

Yui's being her usual cheery self.

"Senpai, I get that you're excited.. But aren't you a little worried about having boys in the school?" Azusa looks at Yui with concern.

"Not at all Azu-nyan, there's not really much difference between these guys and half the girls at this school anyway so what does it matter? Besides, now we have a back-up drummer and bassist."

Yuji steps forward to address his new senpai.

"Well, while that's true Hirasawa-senpai, we're also our own band. The three of us were a cover band in middle school and we were pretty popular back then. Of course our old high school from last year didn't have any music clubs we could join, but we still performed at home. When we heard that we could attend the school that Hokago tea-time came from we were ecstatic, we saw you girls at the live show and it was incredible."

Mikeru steps up and speaks next.

"We're very much looking forward to rehearsing with all of you and we would love to show you what we can do..."

"Well why don't you play a song for us? Yuji and Hideyoshi have their instruments and you can use my drums Mikeru-kun. I don't mind." Ritsu offers up her instrument with a smile.

"Alright, but most of the songs we cover are in English."

"That's fine; it's the sound that matters. Besides, most English songs are fairly easy to understand."

"That's true sis. Alright guys, what do ya say?"

"Sure, let's give 'em a show; you want vocals 'Yoshi?"

"Nah, go ahead Yuj'."

"Alright, get ready guys; Watashi wo Futikobasu."

"You would pick that one..." Hideyoshi mutters under his breath as they start to play _**Blow me Away**_ by Breaking Benjamin

The boys take their "rocker" poses, Yuji in a slight power stance with his _**3/4 Gibson Explorer**_ , feet shoulder length apart with his head bowed.

Hideyoshi takes a slightly more humble pose, feet a little closer but still separate, shoulders drawn back only slightly and hands resting on his **_5 string Fernandez Gravity._**

Yuji readies himself as they begin to play, leaning into the mic to start the vocals.

"They fall in line  
one at a time,  
ready to play."

Hideyoshi darts towards the second mic to throw in the back-up vocals.

 _"I can't see them anyway."_

"No time to lose  
we've got to move  
steady your helm."

 _"I am losing sight again."_

"Fire your guns  
it's time to run  
blow me away."

 _"I will stay in the mess I made."_

"After the fall  
we'll shake it off  
show me the way."

The two start singing in tandem when the chorus comes around.

"Only the strongest will survive  
lead me to heaven when we die.  
I am the shadow on the wall  
I'll be the one to save us all."

The girls react in shock when Hideyoshi starts the lead for the second verse, singing in a soft, feminine voice.

 _"There's nothing left_  
 _so save your breath_  
 _lying in wait."_

Yuji takes over Hideyoshi's role of back-up while he's doing the 'girl parts.'

"Caught inside this tidal wave."

 _"Your cover's blown_  
 _nowhere to go_  
 _holding your fate."_

"Loaded I will walk alone."

 _"Fire your guns_  
 _its time to run_  
 _blow me away."_

"I will stay in the mess I made."

 _"After the fall_  
 _we'll shake it off_  
 _show me the way."_

The two sing in tandem for the chorus again,  
Hideyoshi swapping back to his guy voice.

"Only the strongest will survive  
lead me to heaven when we die.  
I am the shadow on the wall  
I'll be the one to save us all."

Hideyoshi softens and fades out at the final chorus line,  
leaving Yuji to sing by himself.

"You wanted it back  
don't make me mad."

Hideyoshi steps in to back him up again,  
switching back once more to his 'girl' voice.

 _"Don't make me Ma~~d,  
Blow me a~~way."_

"Only the strongest will survive  
lead me to heaven when we die  
I am the shadow on the wall  
I'll be the one to save us a~~ll"

 _"Save us a~~ll.."_

Yuji and Hideyoshi finish with the final note, panting with the excessive energy needed to both sing and play such an energetic song.  
Mikeru is slouched behind Ritsu's drum kit, shoulders slumped in apparent exhaustion.

"Nice work doing Valora's parts Hideyoshi."

"You could have said you were planning that song!" Hideyoshi voices his complaint with a little pout while brushing the hair out of his eyes.

"My bad, but it's not like you don't know it."

"No but you know I hate singing girls parts."

"Yeah, but I did offer lead vocals before we started." Yuji replies with a smile.

Their conversation/playful argument is soon interrupted by the sound of applause from Yui, Mugi and Azusa.

"That was incredible!"

"Yes very good, your playing might just be better then Yui's was when she started here."

"That was amazing, I can't believe how well Akiama-san did the girls lines in the song, then switching back to guys parts, that takes awesome pitch control..."

"Thanks. You're Nakano-san right?"

"That's right, I'm Azusa Nakano. I'm in class 2-2 this year, nice to meet you."

Azusa smiles at the three boys.

"Nice to meet you too Nakano-san. By the way, Yuji's the better singer of the two of us."

"Now, now Hideyoshi. Don't sell yourself short.." Yuji smiles at Hideyoshi.

"Short jokes, really? You're like four inches taller than me."

"Yeah and don't you forget it..."

Yuji ruffles Hideyoshi's hair causing him to pout again (not helping his girly appearance at all...) as the two share a smile. Mugi seems to have noticed how Mikeru is seated.

"Are you alright Kyoku-san?"

Mikeru looks up at Mugi, a massive smile spread broadly across his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine Kotobuki-senpai. It's just been a while since we've performed for an audience. That was a blast!" He stands up, handing Ritsu's drumsticks back to her.

"Thank's for letting me use your drum's Tainaka-senpai."

"It's cool, and call me Ritsu, last names are so stuffy." Ritsu makes a face that makes her look like she just tried swallowing a lemon whole.

"Oh, ok Ritsu-senpai, thanks." Mikeru smiles at her and Mugi feels an inexplicable pang of jealousy.

"So, who wants some tea?" She starts busying herself with the teapot.

"Oooh, yes please Mugi-chan! You guy's are going to love Mugi-chan's tea, it's amazing. Do you have any sweets today Mugi-chan?" Yui reverts from excited to her usual sweet-addicted self.

"Oh I'm so sorry Yui-chan, I forgot to bring any today... but if we look there might be some cake in the cupboard, it's probably stale though..." Mugi's face falls as she realises that she's disappointed her friend.

"It's alright Mugi, I'm sure we can go without for a day. It won't kill us."

"Well. If you guys want something sweet to have with your tea, I'm sure Yuji-kun has something from the cafeteria..." Hideyoshi says with a sly grin. His comment has the desired effect of causing Yui to bounce up from her seat in delight.

"Ne, ne Shimada-kun. What is it?" Yuji resists the urge to pat his senpai on the head. _She reminds me of an over-excited puppy..._ he thinks with a sigh.

"I got one of those golden éclair rolls. Figured I'd share it with the guys after school, but I'm sure there'll be enough for all eight of us."

"Sugo~ii, those are supposed to be really hard to find! How did you get it?"

Yuji shrugs. "It was just sitting there in the cabinet, I guess I was lucky."

Yui runs up and hugs him, hanging off of him like a parasite. "You're incredible Shimada-kun!"

"A-ano... Arigato, Hirasawa-senpai." Yuji's face starts to turn a light shade of red.

"Senpai, you're embarrassing Shimada-san..." Azusa steps forward. "Come sit down Yui-senpai, drink your tea." She drags Yui to her chair while thinking to herself; _what a child..._

Ritsu and the others are already sat around the tables which have had more chairs added around to account for the extra people. Yuji puts the roll on the table.

"Anyone got a knife?"

"Yes, here you go Shimada-san." Mugi hands him a knife with which he promptly cuts the roll into eight pieces and hands one out to everyone, leaving the smallest for himself.

"Are you sure you have enough Shimada-san?"

"Yeah, it's cool Nakano-chan. I'm not that big a fan of sweets so I don't mind small servings, I prefer them in fact." He flashes a smile in her direction, causing her to dip her head to hide her blush.

"Y-you can call me Azusa... i-if you want." She smiles shyly back at him.

"Thank's Azusa-chan. In that case, call me Yuji." Yuji keeps the smile on his face as he takes a sip from the tea cup that Mugi's placed in front of him.

"Well, since we're all in the same club why don't you three just go ahead and call us all by our first names." Mio says diplomatically, trying to cover up for Azusa's embarrassment.

"How nice of you Onee-chan, I doubt the guys would mind if you call them by their first names either." Hideyoshi responds to his sister's comment.

"Alright! Now that that's settled, let's dig in already before the tea goes cold!" Ritsu declares excitedly.

"Here, here. Well said Ritsu-senpai. C'mon guys the tea's going cold!"

 _That's Mikeru for ya, always thinking with his stomach..._

Outside the clubroom. 4:30pm

"Oi, Azusa-chan!" Yuji calls out to his class mate, causing her to turn around, her twin pigtails spinning around her face. Yuji chuckles to himself at the amusing sight.

"Yuji-kun, what's the matter?"

"I was just thinking, since Mio-senpai, Ritsu-senpai and Yoshi-kun are all headed the same way, maybe you'd want to walk home with me instead.. I mean, we live in the same direction so..." Okay, little white lie there but hey... can ya blame me?

"I was going to walk home with Yui-senpai and Ui-chan..."

"Oh, that's fine.." Yuji smiles, secretly disappointed at having missed a chance to walk home with his cute future class mate.

"But, I guess I can walk with you instead.. I mean I walk with those two all the time so I doubt they'd mind me skipping out on them once." Azusa smiles shyly at him.

"Awesome! So, what got you into playing guitar Azusa-chan?" Yuji starts up a conversation with a smile, indicating the direction of the stairs to get her headed home.

"Well, my parents are both jazz musicians, so I got into it at an early age. I guess playing alongside the rest of the club has really improved my skills a little.."

"Really a little... that's a bit of a contradiction Azusa-chan." Yuji says with a playful smile.

"Hey... I know what I meant! Anyway, I mean my musical range and stuff... But I also didn't sing before I joined the club either."

The two stop at their shoe lockers, swapping out their school shoes for their real ones. Yuji holds the door open for Azusa, causing her once again to blush.

"Thanks," she says softly.

"Any time." Yuji smiles. His hand brushes Azusa's shoulder as it falls to his side, causing her to gasp.

"Sorry, that was an accident..."

"I-it's fine... I was just surprised... that's all.." Azusa's face has turned a deep red and her eyes are pointed firmly downward.

"You seem a little embarrassed." Yuji says teasingly.

"Can we just change the subject!?" Azusa blusters slightly as she makes her request.

"Sure, sure." Yuji smiles at his new friend. _She seems to embarrass easily..._

"Anyway, what made you start playing guitar?"

"Well, Hideyoshi got into the bass because of Mio-senpai. Then he had the same idea as Ritsu-senpai; to start a band. But he needed a guitarist and a drummer, that's where me and Mikeru came into it. He suggested guitar to Mikeru first, but Mikeru had the same reaction Ritsu-senpai had; hell no."

Yuji smiles fondly at the memory of Mikeru losing his shit at the prospect of moving his fingers so quickly.

"My ankles aren't that strong so using the bass drum constantly in some songs would tire me out too quickly. So Mikeru the slow finger mover and me the weak ankled guy decided to swap instruments so we were both happy. I got into the guitar, and he decided to practice the drums, and we both love it."

"So why don't you guys write your own songs?"

"Well I can't speak for the other two, but I've never had the right muse... Never had anyone to sing about or for.."

Azusa finds herself blushing at that comment, for reasons she herself can't figure out.

"That sounds so sad when you say it like that..."

Yuji chuckles. "Haha, I guess it does. But I don't mind, when I find someone to sing about then I'll start writing my own songs..." he looks across at Azusa with a coy smile, causing her blush to deepen.

"If I didn't know better I'd think you were hinting at something..."

"Well, that would be silly. Flirting with a classmate I only met today.. Wouldn't it?"

"Maybe, but you never know until you try..." Azusa looks up as she sees familiar surroundings.

"This is my house, see you tomorrow Yuji-san." Yuji smiles.

"I told you Azusa-chan, just call me Yuji."

"I-isn't that a little too informal?"

"Not at all, we're friends aren't we?"

"R-right... Then, just call me Azusa. I-I don't really have a nickname... not one I like anyway.." She puffs her cheeks out when she thinks about Yui's pet name for her. This action makes her look like an angry squirrel, causing Yuji to start laughing.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow Azusa." She nods and closes the door.

Yuji looks around. Right... now to figure out how far from home I am... He starts heading back the way he came, seeking a familiar land mark. Unfortunately for him, the first familiar landmark he finds is Sakura high...

Kyoku residence. 5:30 pm

Mikeru lies on his bed, thinking about his meeting with the famed Hokago Tea Time.

 _Kotobuki-senpai's rather friendly; she seems sort of regal too... Akiyama-senpai keeps to herself a little... Tainaka-senpai's almost as energetic as I am... And wow, that Hirasawa-senpai... she's got an appetite, at least she's easy to keep happy..._

 _I liked Kotobuki, she was kind of cute..._

Mikeru gets up from his bed, walks over to his desk, grabs a notepad and a pen and lies back down on his stomach, leaning his arms on his pillow.

Thinking of Tsumugi and nothing else, he begins to write...

Half an hour later

Mikeru looks proudly at his work, reading and re-reading it. I guess I should name it huh?

Thinking hard and looking it back over again he writes a title at the top of the first page, his work having taken up a page and a half in the little notebook. Piano in the dark.

 _Nice name, not a bad anthem for Kotobuki-senpai. A little_ _presumptuous_ _, maybe kind of dark, but I'm sure she'll like it, at least I hope she does..._

Akiyama residence 6pm

Mio sits at her desk, doing her homework when her phone starts playing fuwa fuwa time. Flipping it open she sees a text message from Ritsu.

 **'Hey Mio, what'd you think of those new kouhai?**  
 **They're pretty good players, I mean we already**  
 **knew Hideyoshi was good but Yuji's gotten better**  
 **and that Mikeru was awesome!**  
 **Anyway, what are you up to? :)'**

Mio shakes her head in disbelief that Ritsu could be so... sporadic in her behaviour.

 **'I've heard them practice in the garage before so**  
 **I already know how good they are.**  
 **Mikeru can play piano too.**  
 **And one of them can play the violin,**  
 **but I'm not sure which one of them it is...**  
 **Also, I'm doing the homework that you should be**  
 **doing too!'**

Meanwhile, in his room. Hideyoshi sits in front of the small television in the corner, watching a music video while taking notes on hand positions and such. One can never know too much... he thinks to himself.

He then feels his pocket vibrate, pulling his cell phone out he sees a text from Yuji.

 **'Dude, I think we should start trying to write our own songs...**  
 **I was talking to Azusa on the way home and she asked me**  
 **why we don't yet, so maybe we should start.**  
 **Just a thought, anyway... 'Sup?'**

Hideyoshi starts thinking to himself.. I guess it wouldn't hurt to try, not like we could write anything as fluffy as the crap big sis' comes up with...

 **'Sure, we'll talk more about it tomorrow in the clubroom...'**

It takes a couple of seconds for Yuji to reply.

 **'Sweet, but let's talk about it at lunch.**  
 **I want to keep it a secret from the girls,**  
 **'til we're ready y'know?'**

Hideyoshi sends a short reply before getting changed and going to bed.

 **'Sure sure, well I'm goin' to bed. Night'**

Yuji doesn't reply to this, he never does to messages that say goodnight.

 **A/N: as stated in the disclaimer, none of the songs sung in this fiction are mine, Piano In The Dark is a song written and performed by Sweetbox and of course I mentioned in the story who sings Blow Me Away, the version sung in this story is the one featuring the singer Velora hence Yuji's comment afterwards.**


	2. Chapter 2

12th of May

3:30

Around a month has passed and the boys have settled into the club, and the school nicely. The three were in the same classroom as each other and Azusa; class 2-2.

Yuji and Hideyoshi are walking down the hallway, heading in the general direction of the clubroom, continuing their conversation from lunch.

"I've told you before that we need something to sing about Yuj, we can't just slap a song together without a rhyme or reason."

"I know that Yosh, but like I said, give us some time and we may just be able to find a muse in the club..."

"You're suggesting we write a song about our senpai?"

"Or Nakano-san, whichever..."

"So you want us to go from a cover band to a ballad band?"

Yuji shakes his head fervently. "Just because we're singing about the girls doesn't mean we have to be singing a ballad. Think about it, there are plenty of pop songs about friendship and crap like that... we could just write stuff like that."

"Sure, and then when we're done doing that you could club me to death with my bass! I don't want to sing crap like that, that's why we don't."

Before Yuji can reply, Mikeru runs up from behind them.

"Hey guys, check it out. I finished writing this last night. I've been working on it pretty much since we met the rest of the club, figured we should find a way to impress the five of them. I was up all night working on the backing track for it, y'know writing up the sheet music... stuff like that." He hands them a notepad with what looks to be lyrics on it.

(Lead)

Her daddy always said  
These are the eighty-eight keys to pain  
And her daddy always said  
Rinse down the hurt before it stains  
But her daddy never said that after this not much remains  
If only he told her to play her life instead of shame

Chorus:

(tandem)

When the lights go down  
And the world's asleep  
She plays piano in the dark  
Piano in the dark  
She's haunted by a warm tea melody  
When she plays piano in the dark  
Piano in the dark

Verse 2:

(lead, with back-up doing brackets)

No one understands  
These are her eighty-eight keys to pain (oooh...)  
And no one ever sees her  
Rinse down the hurt before it stains (mmm hmmm...)  
But now she's finally realized  
Not much of her remains (oh oh oh oh)  
If only she knew how to play her life like she plays her shame (oh...)

When the lights go down (lights go down)  
And the world's asleep (world's asleep)  
She plays piano in the dark (tandem)  
Piano in the dark  
She's haunted by a warm tea melody (haunted by a warm tea melody)  
When she plays piano in the dark (tandem)  
Piano in the dark

Daddy always said these are the eighty-eight keys to~~ pain...

(back-up with lead doing brackets)  
Oooh...yeah...  
mmh huh...  
eighty-eight (eighty-eight keys to pain)  
eighty-eight (eighty-eight keys to shame)  
eighty-eight (Oh...)  
Oh...that's all she has yeah!

(Lead, with back-up on brackets)

When the lights go down (oh)  
And the world's asleep (world's asleep)  
She plays piano in the dark (in the dark)  
Piano in the dark (in the dark!)  
She's haunted by a warm tea melody (haunted by a warm tea melody)  
When she plays piano in the dark (tandem)  
Piano in the dark

(oh)  
When the lights go down (lights go down)  
And the world's asleep (world's asleep)  
She plays piano in the dark (tandem)  
(yeah) Piano in the dark  
She's haunted by a warm tea melody (haunted by... melody)  
When she plays piano in the dark(tandem)  
Piano in the dark

(back-up)She pla~~y~s in the~~ da~~rk...

"Ok so let me make some sense of this for ya's, the squiggly line bits are where the vocalist holds the line, obviously the longer the line the longer the hold. I indicated what vocalist sings what part at the start of every verse; any I didn't is the same as the verse before it."

"This is incredible Mikeru, you wrote this whole thing in a month?"

"Yep, finished the lyrics in one night, it was getting a tune that fit the piano bits that was the hard part. I even worked up a backing track on my synthesiser so I don't have to do the drumming. That way I can play my keyboard instead, otherwise we'd need to find a pianist." Mikeru says this with a chuckle, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"Makes sense, you're pretty handy with that electric coffee table of yours aren't you Mikeru?" Yuji flashes a teasing smile his way.

"How many times have I asked you not to call it that?"

"I don't know, I lose count. Anyway did you bring all the stuff we need to learn it?"

"Yes, my keyboard's in the clubroom along with my synthesiser. And here's the sheet music for the guitar and bass parts of the song." He hands each of them their own sheet of music.

The two share a look before deftly trading sheets, Mikeru having given them the wrong ones.

"Alright, lets get to the clubroom and practise this!" The three turn towards the stairs and start taking them two at a time.

 _Did Mikeru write this for Tsumugi-senpai? It certainly seems that way... hmm, I wonder if he's got a thing for her..._

The three burst excitedly through the door startling Mio and Ritsu, who were waiting for the others to arrive.

"What's got you three so excited?"

Hideyoshi smiles at his sister's closest friend.

"Not much Ricchan, just got a new song we want to rehearse that's all."

"Oh sweet, let's hear it. Mikeru-kun, you need to borrow my drums?"

"Nah, I'm using my keyboard for this song."

"Let's get started."

Mikeru sets up his Cassio keyboard and the synthesiser beside it.

"The heck is that?"

"That, Ritsu-senpai, is a synthesiser. Using this I can recreate any sound I need to. I'll use it in this song for the drum track, and a couple of extra sounds..."

"Awesome!"

Mikeru starts the song up with his opening notes on the keyboard. Turning the synthesiser on it starts off with a bass drum/gong sound, Indicating Yuji to start singing he does just that.

"Her daddy always said

These are the eighty-eight keys to pain.

And her daddy always said

Rinse down the hurt before it stains.

But her daddy never said that after this not much remains.

If only he told her to play her life instead of shame.."

Hideyoshi steps forward, joining Yuji for the first chorus

"When the lights go down,

And the world's asleep,

She plays piano in the dark.

Piano in the dark.

She's haunted by a warm tea melody,

When she plays piano in the dark.

Piano in the dark."

Yuji starts up the second verse, with Hideyoshi singing back-up

"No one understands

These are her eighty-eight keys to pain."

 _"Oooh~~"_

"And no one ever sees her

Rinse down the hurt before it stains."

 _"Mmm hmmm~~"_

"But now she's finally realized

Not much of her remains."

 _"Oh, oh, oh oh."_

"If only she knew how to play her life like she plays her shame."

 _"Oh~~"_

"When the lights go down."

 _"Lights go down."_

"And the world's asleep."

 _"World's asleep."_

"She plays piano in the dark."

 _"She plays piano in the dark."_

"Piano in the dark."

 _"Piano in the dark."_

"She's haunted by a warm tea melody."  
 _"Haunted by a warm tea melody."_

"When she plays piano in the dark."

 _"She plays piano in the dark."_

"Piano in the dark."

 _"Piano in the dark."_

"Daddy always said these are the eighty-eight keys to~~ pain..."

The boys swap parts, with Hideyoshi  
singing lead and Yuji doing the back-up

 _"Oooh...yeah..._

 _Mmh huh..._

 _Eighty-eight."_

"Eighty-eight keys to pain."

 _"Eighty-eight."_

"Eighty-eight keys to shame."

"Eighty-eight."

 _"Oh~~"_

"Oh~~ that's all she has, yeah!"

"When the lights go down."

 _"Oh."_

"And the world's asleep"

 _"World's asleep."_

"She plays piano in the dark."

 _"In the dark."_

"Piano in the dark."

 _"In the dark!"_

"She's haunted by a warm tea melody."

 _"Haunted by a warm tea melody."_

"When she plays piano in the dark."

 _"When she plays piano in the dark."_

"Piano in the dark."  
 _"Piano in the dark oh."_

"When the lights go down."

 _"Lights go down."_

"And the world's asleep."

 _"World's asleep."_

"She plays piano in the dark."

 _"She plays piano in the dark yeah."_

"Piano in the dark."

 _"Piano in the dark."_

"She's haunted by a warm tea melody."

 _"Haunted by a... melody."_

"When she plays piano in the dark."

 _"When she plays piano in the dark."_

"Piano in the dark."

 _"Piano in the dark."_

"She pla~~y~s in the~~ da~~rk..."

Mio and Ritsu are seated on the couch watching eagerly, when the boys finish singing and the song ends, the two stand and applaud them.

"Guys that was awesome.. But I've never heard that tune before, what song is that? Also I thought you said the songs you cover were in English, but that was clearly Japanese..."

"That's because that wasn't a cover. It's a Mikeru original, called _**Piano in the Dark**_."

"Wait, so that was an original song, but I thought you guys were a cover band?"

"Well, Yuji and I decided a while back that we should start writing our own songs, but Mikeru sort of beat us to the punch."

"You guys played that song very well for a first time.." Unnoticed to the others; Azusa and Mugi had entered about half way through the song.

Mikeru lights up at Mugi's praise. _Yep, I knew it..._ Yuji thinks to himself with a wry smile before replying to Mugi.

"Thank's Tsumugi-senpai. Mikeru wrote it, he seems to have found his muse." Yuji says this last part with a meaningful look at Azusa.

Azusa smiles at him, sharing in the almost month old joke. Yuji feels a slight pang in his heart, unsure of the cause he feels his mood dropping rapidly.

"Excuse me.." Yuji addressed this to the group, passing Azusa and their senpai to walk down the flight of stairs and out to the nearby courtyard.

Finding a solitary tree he sits beneath it and closes his eyes, thinking to himself.. Meditating as he often does when troubled or upset.

 _As usual, the causes of my current emotions are inexplicable... I don't even know enough about myself to figure out what bothers me when I get like this. I can't even think of any contributing factors..._

While he's meditating he's shocked out of his thoughts with a flick on his forehead. Opening his eyes he's about ready to punch whoever disturbed him when he sees Hideyoshi standing over him.

"Oh, it's just you... What's up?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing.. You just left without a word. Normally when you get like this you say something but all you said this time is "Bye.." so..; What's up?"

Yuji sighs. "I don't know.. As usual I've no fucking idea what's going on in this stupid head of mine..."

"Well, Hideyoshi the shrink is in the house.. What were you thinking about when your mood dropped?"

"I made that joke to Azusa, about Mikeru finding his 'muse' and then.. I don't know it just hit me..."

"Okay.. so that means it has something to do with either Azusa or Mikeru... so do you feel bad about making fun of Mikeru?"

"Nah, he knows when we tease him it's all in good fun.. Besides he hits back twice as hard sometimes." Yuji gives this reply with a small smile.

"So maybe you feel bad about making _Azusa_ laugh at him?"

"Maybe, but that doesn't feel right... I mean, thinking about it doesn't bug me so I guess it can't be right... I've got no clue man..."

"Hmm, maybe it wasn't the people involved so much as the joke itself so... did it strike you as a little spiteful after you said it..?"

Yuji feels a sudden pang in his heart and realises Hideyoshi must be telling the truth.

"So you're saying I'm.. What? Desperate?"

"Lonely maybe.. Find yourself a girl, not like you're stuck for options there's plenty around.." Hideyoshi grins as he indicates the campus around them.

"Yeah, but how many of them would want to be with a guy like me?" Yuji gives himself a self-depreciative indication as he says this.

"Most of them dude, you're an awesome catch. Plus you're a guitarist so girls'll know you're good with your hands." Ritsu answers his question before Hideyoshi gets the chance.

"Ritsu..?"

"Sorry, I saw the look on your face when you left.. Figured I'd come check up on you, see if you're alright.."

"I'm fine Ricchan, thanks for asking.."

Ritsu scoffs. "Please, I've been behind that tree since Hideyoshi got here.. if you really were fine you would've noticed me, and I heard what you were saying so... no point lying to me little Yuji~."

"Fine, if you were listening then you know what's going on up here;" he taps the side of his head when he says this. "Probably better then I do..."

"Ok, first of all; since when were you all moody and depressing?"

"This is who I am, I've always been like this..."

"Ri~ght. Second thing; If you're that lonely just find a girl to go out with.."

"I don't want to be in a relationship for the sake of it.. I want someone to be with, someone I want to be with..."

Hideyoshi laughs at Ritsu's next comment; "Who knew you were such a hopeless romantic.."

"He's always been this way, why do you think he's never had a girl?"

"What? You mean like... never?"

Yuji shakes his head. "Nope, like I said I don't want just any girl, I want the right girl..."

"Well then you know what you need to do!" Ritsu drops a notepad in Yuji's lap. "Write out your idea of the perfect girl, and I'll find her for you! Take your time, give it to me after school some time. Anyway I'm heading back to the club room."

"Right... well I'll get right on that..."

"Good, see ya's later." Ritsu waves as she turns and walks away from the two boys.

"I'll leave you to your thoughts bro, might go see how Mikeru's doing in the club room."

Yuji fishes through his bag, which Hideyoshi brought out to him, for a pencil and starts to write out a list of any qualities that he finds attractive, more personality than superficial. Looking over the list, there's only about five or six items on it.

 _ **-She should be cute, like Yui-senpai, but nowhere near that stupid...  
-She should be funny, like Ricchan, but not that boyish (if I wanted a tomboy I'd date Hideyoshi...)  
-She should be driven, like Mio-chan, but not as easy to scare  
-She should be smart, like I am, but not **__**necessarily**_ _ **as smart as me (I don't want my relationship to be a competition, but I don't want to confuse her every time I speak either...)  
-She should be kind and caring, like Mugi-senpai, but not as... regal  
-And she should be shorter than me...**_

That should be enough to keep Ritsu-senpai satisfied... Yuji thinks to himself as he stands and walks back to the club room.

Club room 4.40 pm

Yuji walks out of the clubroom, walking past the courtyard where he put Kenji to check if he's still there. Seeing him gone, he heads back to his tree, sits under it with a sigh and closes his eyes.

After about ten minutes he gets up from under his tree and starts making his way back towards the club room. Crap, with all that happened I forgot to give that list to Ricchan. Hopefully that asswipe hasn't decided to go back to the clubroom and start more shit...

Club room

"Ritsu-senpai, are you still here?" Yuji asks the question as he opens the door.

Ritsu and Mio turn to the door with a guilty look on their faces.

"Sorry.. Was I interrupting something?" Mio's face turns a deep shade of red as Ritsu answers;

"Nah... What's up Yuji?"

"I've got that list for you." Yuji holds the notebook up at her.

"Wow, that was fast... can't be that long.."

"Nah, it's not. But it's finished so here you go." He passes her the notebook and goes to leave the room. Ritsu laughs as she reads it, seeing the annotations he's put after each point.

"Yuji, wait..." He turns around in response to her.

"What is it?"

"This list... there's like five things on it, and did you really need to use the whole club as examples?"

"I didn't use the whole club... Just my senpai... because I respect you guys so much." Yuji laughs as he says this. "I'm sorry I thought I could get that out with a straight face, boy was I wrong.." He laughs intermittently as he says this.

"Oh, a funny guy huh? Well let's take a look here; driven, cute, smart, friendly, funny, and.. What's this last one?" Ritsu squints at the notebook trying to decipher Yuji's handwriting.

"Should be shorter than me... Seriously Yuj? You got a height fetish or something?" Ritsu looks at Yuji like he's a pervert.

"No! It's just... I-if a girl's shorter than a guy then... when they hug the girl... just.. Fits better, y'know?"

Ritsu's gone from looking at Yuji like he's a pervert to looking at him like he's crazy.

"I'm confused... Mio did that make any sense to you? OWW!" Ritsu rubs the back of her head where Mio hit her.

"Of course it did baka! And if you think about it it'll make sense to you too. What he means is when a guy that's taller than a girl hugs her, her head fits comfortably under his chin. Get it now?"

"Oh... yeah that makes sense. Wow Yuji you really are a sap." Ritsu smiles at Yuji until Mio hits her again, causing her to cower in the corner of the room.

"Don't listen to her Yuji.." Mio looks over the list. "Doesn't scare as easy, really Yuji you couldn't think of a better reason to eliminate me from your list of potentials?"

"Sorry Mio-chan, I could have said "But isn't my best friend's sister." But that seemed sort of weak... besides I like watching horror movies and you spend the whole time hiding behind the couch..." Yuji smiles at Mio as he says this.

"Right.. Well, these traits all sound almost exactly like Azusa, and she is shorter than you..." Mio looks at Yuji slyly.

"I-I guess so... What's your point?"

Mio sighs. "My point is that if this is a list of qualities you find attractive in a woman, then Azusa is your perfect girl..."

"I guess you're right.. But the trouble is if I do find a girl with the whole list... there's no way she'd be interested in me... Especially if that girl is Azusa.."

"Didn't you hear what I said before Yuji? You're a total catch. You're super sensitive, and friendly, not to mention funny as hell! And don't forget that thing I said about you being a guitarist..." Ritsu smiles at Yuji wiggling her eyebrows as she says this.

"Ricchan that's dirty. Besides, Azusa's a guitarist too..."

"Yeah, I'm not going to go there..." Ritsu chuckles nervously.

"So not what I meant! My point is she's not going to be impressed by me being a guitarist since she's one too..."

"No, but you could use that to your advantage; I know for a fact that Azusa likes practicing more than even I do, you could offer to rehearse with her one-on-one, after our club meeting or something?" Mio offers this up as a suggestion.

"Wait, how did we get to me courting Azusa?"

Unnoticed to the three talking, the door opens after Yuji says this and Azusa walks in, not making herself known as the object of her affections seems to be talking to Mio and Ritsu about a mystery girl...

"Well, it was just a suggestion.. But it does sound to me like you have a thing for her..."

"Yeah, I mean she meets your list perfectly.. And you two did seem to be hitting it off the day we introduced you..."

"What the hell are you talking about Ricchan?"

"I saw you two walking together, I saw her... she couldn't get enough of you Yuji. Seriously, just take the girl out already!"

"Um... who are you guys talking about?" Ritsu, Mio and Yuji all stiffen fearfully as they hear the voice of the girl they're all talking about coming from the door.

"A-Azusa-chan, what are you doing here? Didn't you go home already?"

"I forgot my notebook on the desk over there... will someone please tell me who you guys are talking about?"

"Me Azusa, we're talking about me.." Yuji tries to deflect her curiosity by confusing her.

"Don't try to confuse me Yuji! I mean the girl.. Who's the girl you're talking about!?"

Mio sighs. "Sorry Yuji... Azusa, look at this list and tell me who comes to mind.."

Mio hands Azusa the list that Yuji wrote at Ritsu's behest. Azusa looks at it, reading it carefully.

"Well... that depends... Shorter than whom?"

"Me." Yuji answers nervously, although Azusa has no clue why.

"Well than I'm not sure, the only girl I can think of that's shorter than Yuji is Jun-chan, well.. besides me..."

 _That word's starting to get over-used..._ Yuji thinks to himself with dry humour.

"Bingo, Azusa-chan. You just answered your own question."

"Wait, so what's this list?"

"I asked Yuji to write a list of... qualities he finds attractive in a girl, that's what he came out with..."

Yuji couldn't bear it any longer. "Excuse me; I've got something to do before I go home." Grabbing his bag and guitar case Yuji turns on his heel and walks out before any of the three girls can stop him.

"B-but I only meet like two things on this list... so you were talking about Jun-chan?"

Mio sighs. "No Azusa we were talking about you, and you fit the whole list to a tee."

Azusa shrugs doubtfully. "I'll admit I'm cute, the same way a pet can be seen as cute but not the way this list means..."

"Azusa you're pretty much the club mascot, you're the cutest of the eight of us..."

"Ok fine, even if that is true.. I'm not that smart."

"Well you're not a _genius_ sure, but you're smart enough. And the list does say he didn't want someone too smart."

"Well.. At least I am driven, and I'm definitely shorter than him..."

"And you're almost as funny as I am, when you're not in your scary mode..."

"RISTU-SENPAI!"

"Ahh, see what I mean..." Ritsu says this from her new position behind her chair. Mio decides to butt in before Ritsu can dig herself a deeper hole.

"And you're also one of the kindest students I know..."

"I'm not that kind either.. I can be pretty selfish sometimes actually..."

"Well, you spend a lot of time doing what we want, rather than trying to force us into doing what you want to do..."

"I guess... but that wouldn't exactly win me the Nobel peace prize... So do you think he wrote this list with me in mind? Or is it just a coincidence? Probably a coincidence..."

"I think it _is_ a coincidence, but the fact that _you_ like _him_ is reason enough for you to go after him, we've just spent the last five minutes making him realise how he feels about you so if you go now you might just get the guy. If not you'll have to wait the whole weekend, who knows what could happen..?"

"Ritsu-senpai! Who says I like him in that way?"

"Oh come on Azusa, I see how you look at him during meetings. And I noticed who you were watching when they performed; it wasn't Hideyoshi or Mikeru..."

"O-of course I was watching Yuji... he was the one singing!"

Ritsu gives Azusa a disparaging look. "Please Azusa, you can't fool me. I might be stupid when it comes to classes and stuff...-"

"-At least you're honest about it..."

"But! When it comes to things like this; feelings and emotions and crap, I'm a lot smarter than I look... you like him Azusa, I can see it..."

Azusa sighs. "Fine, you're right of course.. I'd be stupid not to like him he's funny, he's smart. I mean like top of our class type smart... and he's such a sweet guy..." Ritsu chuckles as Azusa gets a "dreamy" look in her eyes.

"Don't tell me.. Go tell him, stupid!" This snaps Azusa out of her reverie and she turns and runs after Yuji.

Mio laughs after she leaves, causing Ritsu to look at her with a raised eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

"She forgot her notebook again." Mio starts laughing in earnest and this time Ritsu joins her.

 **A/N, the brief scene that happens at 4:30 will make more sense in chapter 4, promise :3**

 **Also I think I mentioned this last chapter, but the song** ** _Piano in the dark_** **is a song by** ** _Sweetbox_** **it can be found on youtube if you're curious, and I suggest listening while reading so you can understand how the boys perform these songs. ^_^**


	3. Chapter 3

Outer Courtyard - 5:10 pm

"Yuji!" Yuji turns at the sound of his name being called.

"What's up?" The question leaves his mouth before he's finished turning, then he groans inwardly when he sees who it is running toward him.

 _Here it comes..._ He thinks ruefully to himself.

"You walked out before I could ask; since Yui-senpai and Ui-chan are already home... do you mind.. Walking home with me?" _Oh real nice Azusa, make it sound like he's a last resort, so stupid!_ "I-I mean, if you're not too busy.. I'd like to walk with you..."

 _Huh, not what I was expecting at all... so either she's not as smart as I give her credit for, at least in regards to feelings and stuff. Or... she actually likes me... well, only one way to find out;_

"Sure Azusa, I'd love to walk you home." Yuji smiles at Azusa and sees her face practically explode with the brightest smile he'd ever seen. _Whoa! I'm blind..._ He thinks to himself, mentally noting that next time he should shield his eyes or something when she smiles like that. _Having said that, it does make her even cuter..._

"Awesome... Oh crap, I forgot my notebook again!"

"That's alright, I'll wait here if you want to go get it."

"No it's fine, I'll just text Mio-senpai and ask her to keep a hold of it for me 'til Monday."

"You sure? I don't mind waiting..."

"Nah, already done." Azusa puts her phone back in her pocket as she responds. That was fast...

"Alright then, let's get going."

The two head off in the direction of Azusa's house.

Ten minutes later they're standing on Azusa's doorstep, Azusa gazing nervously at her hands.

"U-umm.. Did you want to come in for a drink?" She asks, her nerves showing in her voice.

"Your parent's won't mind?" She shakes her head.

"They're out of town 'til next week." Yuji looks a little concerned at her comment.

"You're alone here 'til next week? Is that safe..?"

"I don't know, but I don't mind it. It's a little quiet sometimes but my parents got a cat recently to keep me company so that's nice. Anyway, do you want to come in?"

"Sure, I want to meet this famous cat." Yuji holds the door open for Azusa who enters with a chuckle.

"Not sure if she'll come out, is tea ok for you?" Azusa calls out on her way to the kitchen.

"Tea's fine Azusa, but you don't need to trouble yourself..."

"It's no trouble Yuji. Have a seat, I'll be out in a minute."

"No rush." As Yuji says this, he reaches into his guitar case and pulls out his Gibson L-00 3/4 acoustic.

Azusa walks into the room with a tray in hand, only vaguely noticing Yuji tuning his guitar.

"You tune by ear too? Yui-senpai does that, I can't believe that girl has perfect pitch I mean she's so musically... well, dumb..." Azusa looks slightly ashamed at phrasing her statement like this, probably because she's just insulted her senpai.

"Yeah, I don't always get it perfect, and it's easier for me to do with my acoustic then my electric guitars, obviously."

"Wait, guitars.. As in plural? How many do you have?"

Yuji counts contemplatively on his fingers before answering; "Three, my **_Gibson Explorer_** , you saw that at the club on our first day, my _**Gibson L-00**_ that's this bad boy right here." He pats the guitar resting on his lap, resulting in a dull hollow sound being given off by it.

"And for performances I have a **_Fender Stratocaster_**. Matches with Hideyoshi's _**3/4**_ _ **Stratocaster Bass**_ he has for performances."

"Why do you have a different guitar for performances and rehearsal?"

"Because that way if one of them craps out we can still use the other one.. We just prefer to use our _**Stratocasters**_ for stage shows because they're a pair whereas our rehearsal guitars are different manufacturers. Now, where's this cat you mentioned?"

Azusa looks around for her cat (Azu-nyan #2) and can't seem to find her anywhere.

"She must be asleep upstairs."

"A shame.. So Azusa, what sort of music do you like?"

"Well, I like jazz, obviously... but I also like ballad-y music.. Y'know bands like Creed and all them... I like the way their vocalists sing, I can't seem to sing like that."

"It was called crooning back in the 90's but I don't know many people that still like it, besides myself..." Yuji calmly looks to the neck of his guitar, placing his fingers in certain positions he begins playing a gentle rhythm.

"This is a work in progress, so y'know.. Don't be surprised if it sucks." He smiles up at her when he says this and as she smiles back he starts to sing;

"Like a gift from the heavens,  
it was easy to tell,  
it was love from above  
that could save me from hell."

Azusa's face turns from one of surprise to one of admiration as she hears his intro verse, realising that he's mastered the "crooning" singing style flawlessly. _He must really like that style of singing..._ She thinks to herself, realising it to be the only reason for him to be so good at it.

She realises as he continues that his eyes haven't left hers since he started singing, his next words cause her to feel that he's singing not only to her but for her.

"You got a fire in your heart and it's easy to see,  
how the devil himself can be pulled out of me,  
There were drums in the air as we started to dance,  
Every soul in the room keeping time with their hands,  
And we sang;

Ey oh ey oh ey oh ey,  
and the voices rang let the angel sing,  
we're singing...  
Ey oh ey oh ey oh ey,  
and we danced on into the night,  
Ey oh ey oh ey oh ey,  
and we danced on into the night..."

Yuji slows his playing to a stop and looks at Azusa with an expectant look in his eyes, his whole face asking; "What did you think?"

Azusa exhales a breath she didn't realise she was holding, letting it out as a gentle sigh. "That was... breathtaking! Yuji, that was awesome. I can't wait to hear the rest of it, when did you start writing it?"

Yuji scratches the back of his head nervously. "Umm... on the way here..."

"Seriously?!"

"Yeah, I guess when you've got something to write about it just flows.. y'know?" He responds with a shrug.

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense... wait, so what were you singing about?"

Yuji chuckles and leans forward to take up his teacup, replying; "You really have to ask?" before sipping his tea and pulling a face.

Azusa's face drops. "What's wrong with it?" her voice sounding hurt, as if his face pulling is a criticism of her tea making ability.

"Nothing, it's just that while we've been talking it's gone cold..."

"Oh... I could make some more if you like?"

"No it's okay, I'll just put some sugar in it, that'll make it nicer. Like iced tea." Yuji replies with a small smile.

"So... you were singing about a person..?"

"Yeah..."

"A girl?"

"You're two for two."

"So... was it... Yui-senpai?"

Yuji sighs while glaring slightly at the small yet somewhat dense girl seated opposite him.

"No Azusa... it wasn't the girl that acts like a hyperactive puppy 24/7."

"Not 24/7... She sleeps sometimes..." Yuji laughs at Azusa's joke, causing her to smile. "Besides, since she met Kitano we barely hear from her but after today I just thought..."

Yui had met a boy in her class a week after the boys started classes, his name is Kenji Kitano and the two started dating two days after meeting. Yui stopped attending club meetings a few days after that and only rarely attends, normally when dragged there by Ritsu or Mio.

"No, I don't like Yui-senpai that way. The reason I did what I did today wasn't Yui-senpai it was Kitano. Hideyoshi, Mikeru and I went to middle school with that guy... he's bad news... And if you ask if that song's about Mio or Ritsu I'll hit you in the face with this cushion," Yuji says this in a deadpan voice, causing Azusa to giggle slightly.

"Well that only leaves three or four people as far as I know, I didn't think you had feelings like that for Mugi-senpai." Azusa's smile doesn't leave her face as she's glad they avoided a potentially dark/depressing topic.

"Really! So far you've guessed wrong twice, there's not too many options left..."

"Well just tell me than!"

"You should already be able to work it out Azusa... after all there's only one girl in class I call by her first name..."

Azusa's eyes widen as she finally realises that he was in fact singing to her, and about her...

"Yuji I..."

"You don't need to say it Azusa, I already know that I've got no chance with a girl like you..."

Azusa frowns slightly in confusion at that.

"What do you mean by that?" _If anything it should be the other way around..._ Azusa thinks to herself.

"You're incredible Azusa, you're smart.. Like top of the class smart, you're funny, kind, sweet and you're cute as hell..." Yuji smiles a little depreciatively as he continues. "I on the other hand... well, the only thing I've got going for me is my mind... and I'm not sure if you've noticed yet but that's a little broken sometimes..."

"Funny I was going to say the same about you... Yuji you're literally at the top of the class, you're way funnier than I am.. But you still laugh at my jokes, which is nice..." Azusa looks away coyly as she mumbles her afterthought. "Plus, you're the nicest guy in school, well as far as the ones I've met go... most guys in our school are total perverts, I'm pretty sure one tried to put a hand up my skirt last week! But you, Hideyoshi and Mikeru are genuine good guys. Of the three of you though, you're the best..."

Yuji looks confused at her somewhat open ended statement so she decides, with a sigh, to elaborate; "First day of the new term; you weren't even officially attending the school yet and yet you still offered to walk me home. Even though you live in almost completely the other direction.." She looks at him with a face that says "That's right I know you were fibbing that day."

"And don't you remember what happened last weekend?"

Yuji shakes his head with a shrug, silently asking her to refresh his memory.

"Ui-chan and I were out shopping last Saturday... those three big guys followed us down an alleyway and.. one grabbed Ui, one grabbed me and the third guy tried to rob us... I don't know where you came from or how you saw it but you seemed to come out of nowhere.. You scared them off, remember?"

Yuji chuckles at the recollection of the three, all smaller than him although to Azusa they were big... "Right, I remember now... good times."

"Well it wasn't for us, 'til you showed up... you saved our wallets, maybe even our lives..."

"Oh I doubt they would've killed you two, they barely had the guts to face me..."

"Well... you do have a bit of a bear-like appearance... but I think it was your eyes that scared them away..."

"I guess it was. I mean I'm not very good at hiding my emotions, and when someone does something like that to a girl, doesn't matter what girl... It just pisses me off y'know?"

"Yeah."

"And when I recognised you and Hirasawa, well.. They're lucky I didn't give chase..."

"See what I mean, you're the most caring guy I know.. Including my dad and that's saying something..."

Yuji laughs at that. "Not sure if comparing my compassion to your dad is a compliment or not..."

Azusa giggles softly. "Maybe not, but you get my point?"

"I do, and I guess I am a little too hard on myself sometimes when it comes to my qualities... but I suppose it's better than being an overconfident ass... and even if I am the best guy in school, I'm still no match for you..." He smiles up at her with a lopsided grin, causing her to blush.

"I'm not that great... Jun-chan's smarter than I am, and Ui-chan's way nicer than me..."

"Suzuki-san's not smarter than you, she studies more than you there's a difference, if anything that makes you smarter because you can match her test scores without studying all month before the test. And Hirasawa-san's not nice she's submissive..." Yuji realises after he says it that he's just insulted her friend.

"I mean..." He sighs. "She's nice.. Obviously. But the thing that makes her seem nicer than you is her submissive nature... brought on, obviously, by Yui-senpai." His last line is muttered under his breath but Azusa still hears it.

"I guess you're right... but I never thought I was that nice..."

"Okay, my turn to give you some examples; First day of classes, well for the guys anyway.. Who was it that offered the seat next to them for me to sit in when the teacher suggested boy-girl seating?"

"Me... but that was only because I was the only girl you knew..."

"And who was it that told Suzuki off when she tried to use me as her go-between to pass you notes in class?"

"Me, but who else was going to do it?"

"Why did it need to be done? I don't mind playing mailman, I did it all the time in middle school for Mikeru and Yoshi."

"But that's different they're your friends..."

"So are you."

"But Jun's not.."

"She's your friend though, I might not be close enough to call her by her first name, but it's not like I dislike her... she's a friend of yours, and any friend of my friend is also my friend... that sounded less zen in my head..."

Azusa giggles as Yuji thinks of what example to use next. By this point in the conversation Yuji's put his guitar back in its case and Azusa has moved from sitting across from him like an enraptured audience, to sitting beside him.

"Do you remember yesterday in the club?"

"Umm, I remember being in the club yesterday.."

Yuji sighs. "And I thought my memory was bad." Azusa playfully swats his shoulder when he says this.

"Yesterday in the club room, you were there later than anyone else.. You stayed back to keep me company while I changed my strings after practise..."

"I-I would have done that for anybody..."

"Exactly, I doubt any of our senpai would have, even Yoshi didn't stay to keep me company that day.."

"Well, actually..." Yuji cocks his head in curiosity.

"What?"

"I kind of asked him to go on ahead... I wanted to spend some time alone with you..." Azusa's face turns bright red when she says this.

"Well, well, well... looks like little Azu-nyan, has a crush."

Azusa groans when Yuji uses her "nickname."

"Please don't call me that... I can't stand that name..."

"I know, I was just teasing you Azusa.. Sorry."

Azusa smiles, and shuffles a little closer to him on the couch.

"That's ok, you can make it up to me somehow I'm sure..."

"Oh, what do you suggest?"

Azusa hums thoughtfully. "Stay the night?"

Yuji's shocked at the underlying suggestion in her request. "Really? I mean it's already nearly dark, you sure you want to go to all the trouble of setting up a futon and what not?"

"It's fine the couch folds out, it'll take like five minutes to set up. You don't have to stay if you don't want to, but..."

"But what?"

"Well.. I want you to." Azusa looks at her lap nervously as she says this.

"Well, if you don't mind then... I'd love to stay the night. I'll just have to call my folks and let'm know." Yuji gets up and pulls his phone out of his pocket, walking into the entrance hall to call his father.

After a few minutes on the phone, Yuji comes back to the couch with a smile on his face.

"Dad's fine with me staying the night. He did ask what we were planning for dinner but I blew it off by saying we'd already eaten.."

"Well, I don't mind cooking, but I'm not that skilled, mum usually cooks and she hasn't taught me very much in the kitchen yet."

"That's fine, I'll cook. I don't mind in the slightest, in fact I like cooking."

Yuji hops up off of the couch once more and wanders into the kitchen, looking through the fridge he pulls out an assortment of ingredients; Rice, what looks to be a chicken breast, some bok choy and a carrot.

Moving to the cupboard he starts looking through it in search of something, not finding it he decides to call out to Azusa.

"Hey Azusa, where do you keep your soy sauce?"

Azusa comes into the kitchen with a look of recollection on her face. "I think it's in this cupboard over here." She walks over to the cupboard and takes out a small bottle of soy sauce.

"Here you go..." She sees the collection of ingredients he's gathered. "What on earth are you planning on making?"

"Well, I'm going to stir fry the chicken and vegetables in a little bit of soy sauce and stock." He holds up the packet of stock cubes as he says this, setting the kettle to boil.

"Then I'm going to accompany it with a serving of rice, I was thinking of just putting the stir fry over the rice on a plate, y'know, to save on dishes."

"Good plan, I'll get the rice going for you." Azusa makes her offer with a smile.

"Thank's Azusa, saves me from looking for the rice cooker." Yuji flashes a cheeky grin her way.

Fifteen minutes later the duo had finished with their cooking and was sitting down to eat their dinner.

"Wow, Yuji this is really good. Where did you learn to cook so well?"

Yuji's hesitant to tell her the cause of his culinary skill, he decides a half-truth is better than a full blown lie.

"My mother. She gave me a bunch of recipes to learn when I was 11 and I've gone from there, experimenting and such with certain flavours and ingredients."

"So you're mother taught you to cook, she sounds like an amazing woman."

"Yeah..." Yuji feels a slight pang when he hears this. She certainly was, he thinks ruefully.

The rest of the meal was enjoyed in a pleasant silence.

7pm

Azusa's finishing up in the shower and getting ready for bed, Yuji had gone for a shower first at Azusa's insistence (since he was the guest.)

Yuji's folding out the couch when he realises he doesn't know where Azusa keeps the spare blankets. Making his way upstairs he knocks twice on Azusa's door and opens it, poking his head in the door a little.

"Hey Azusa, where do you keep the spare-..." His face turns bright red as he sees Azusa, standing in the middle of her bedroom in a pair of cotton shorts, holding a white tank top over her head, hanging overhead like a little cotton halo.

Azusa turns at the sound of his voice, then, seeing him looking at her and realising she's still bare-chested she drops the tank top, her hands falling to cover her bare breasts in embarrassment.

"GET OUT!" She cries out, turning her back to the door.

"S-sorry..." He stammers, closing the door behind him he turns away from her room and leans against the handrails to the second floor landing.

You've blown it now Yuji, she's going to think you're a total perv...

He hears the door behind him open and turns to see a red faced Azusa trying to avoid his gaze.

"Azusa I.."

"Stop, I know you didn't mean to peek in on me Yuji.. But you knew what I was doing, what were you thinking barging in like that?"

"It was just habit... I didn't mean anything by it, really. It's just me and dad at home so I don't think before I go into a bedroom... I mean it doesn't really matter if I see dad getting dressed, he's a guy too so it's not like I'm seeing anything forbidden..."

Azusa picks up on something when she hears it; _"It's just me and dad at home..." So, his mum doesn't live with them?_

"Wait, I thought you said your mother taught you how to cook?"

Yuji sighs. _I hoped she wouldn't pick up on that..._

"She did... Like I said she gave me a bunch of recipes when I was 11, she left me a recipe book in her will..."

 _In her will... wow, he lost his mother that young..._ Azusa's face drops as she comes to that realisation.

"Yuji I..."

"Please don't say you're sorry Azusa. I didn't tell you to get pity from you, I told you to explain my actions, nothing more. Also, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about this... It's as much dad's secret as mine to keep so..."

"Of course I won't tell anyone Yuji, what was it you were looking for?"

Yuji looks confused for a moment before remembering he actually came upstairs to ask for a spare blanket.

"Oh right, where do you keep the spare blankets?"

"In the linen closet, where else?" Azusa says this with a cheeky grin, knowing full well he doesn't know where the closet is.

"And that would be...?"

"Right there." Azusa points at a door across the hall from her room.

"Thanks, sorry again for... y'know."

"I-it's fine. I mean it's not fine, don't even think about doing it again! B-but... I forgive you for it, this time." Yuji grabs a blanket from the closet and bids Azusa a good night, heading back downstairs to sleep on the now folded out couch.

"Goodnight.. Yu-kun..." Azusa whispers as she closes the door to her bedroom, leaning against it with a sigh. _When did my social life get so darn complicated?_

 ** _A/N; hope you enjoy and I know the development might feel a little fast but try to remember these characters are hormonal teenagers, and it's been a month already so they've had time to develop opinions and feelings towards each other._**

 ** _Please Read & Review_**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Ok, so there was a bit of confusion from my beta reader about this one; This chapter outlines the same day as the past 2 chapters, just following Hideyoshi back to the clubroom rather than sticking with Yuji after his little... mood swing.**

12th of May 4:10pm club room

Hideyoshi returns to the club room, leaving Yuji to his own devices.

 _That list might take him a little while but it won't be very long... Sappy as he is Yuji's not exactly picky when it comes to women he mostly goes for personality._

He looks around when he re-enters the room, hoping against hope that his senpai had decided to come, even though she wasn't here when he followed Yuji out.

 _She hasn't been for about a week and a half now. It's all that Kitano's fault... Damn Kenji, who does he think he is locking a girl like Yui-senpai away like that! Even Mio-oneechan doesn't see her anymore..._

"Hey Hideyoshi you're back already? I thought you'd be helping Yuji with that homework..." Ritsu's subtlety is stronger than usual but Hideyoshi gets what she's talking about anyway.. Being there when he was given the "Homework."

"Nah, that's one assignment he needs to work out alone."

Azusa looks up with a slightly disturbed expression, not recalling getting any homework in class.

"What homework? We weren't given any homework were we?"

"No, no this is extra-curricular stuff. Ricchan gave him some paperwork to fill out. Since he's technically the head of our band, we were going to suggest that; if you don't mind, he take over as club president for next year..."

"Oh, so these were just, what? Practise forms?"

"Yeah, y'know.. Since I had so much trouble with remembering forms and stuff and we didn't even have a name the first time we performed... I shouldn't leave him in the dark like I was. So I gave him a couple of forms, Auditorium use permission slips, training camp permission slips.. Stuff like that..." Ritsu gives a chuckle and silently begs Mio to change the topic.

"Sit down little brother, have some tea before Yui drinks it a-..." Mio's face falls a little as she realises that the joke she was about to make was aimed at a person who, once again, isn't there...

"I-I mean before it goes cold. Right, that's what I meant..."

 _Nice try sis... I already noticed she's not here._

"Right. Well I'll be over here on the couch..." Hideyoshi makes his way to the couch and sits down, pulling a notebook from his bag he begins to write;

 _ **(Intro)  
She is a pyramid  
But with him, she's just a grain of sand  
This love's too strong, like mice and men  
Squeezing out the life that should be let in**_

 _ **(Verse 1)  
She was a hurricane-cane-cane-cane  
But now she's just a gust of wind  
She used to set the sails of a thousand ships  
Was a force to be reckoned with**_

 _ **(Chorus 1)  
She could be a Statue of Liberty  
She could be a Joan of Arc  
But he's scared of the light that's inside of her  
So he keeps her in the dark**_

 _ **Oh, she used to be a pearl...Ohh  
Yeah, she used to rule the world...Ohh  
Can't believe she's become a shell of herself  
'Cause she used to be a pearl**_

"Hideyoshi-kun, what are you doing over there?"

Hideyoshi turns to look back at the rest of the club over his shoulder.

"Nothing much Ricchan, just doing some writing..."

"Writing a song?"

"Not sure yet... more like a story at the moment..."

Hideyoshi goes back to writing.

 _ **(Verse 2)  
She was unstoppable  
Moved fast just like an avalanche  
But now she's stuck deep in cement  
Wishing that they'd never ever met**_

 _ **(Chorus 2)  
She could be a statue of liberty  
She could be a Joan of Arc  
But he's scared of the light that's inside of her  
So he keeps her in the dark**_

 _ **Oh, she used to be a pearl...Ohh  
Yeah, she used to rule the world...Ohh  
Can't believe she's become a shell of herself  
'Cause she used to be a -**_

 _Yui-senpai... I hope this gets through to you..._

 _ **(Verse 3)  
Don't you know that there's a way out,  
there's a way out  
there's a way out  
there's a way out**_

 _ **You don't have to be held down,  
be held down  
be held down  
be held down**_

 _ **(Outro)  
'Cause I used to be a shell  
Yeah, I let him rule my world  
my world, ohh, yeah  
But I woke up and grew strong  
And I can still go on  
And no one can take my pearl**_

 _ **You don't have to be a shell, No  
you're the one that rules your world, ohh  
you are strong and you'll learn  
that you can still go on  
and you'll always be a pearl**_

 _ **You are unstoppable**_

Suddenly, as Hideyoshi finishes writing his new set of lyrics, the door opens.

Everyone at the table turns toward the door and Hideyoshi looks up from his notepad. What he sees causes him to smile as Yui walks through the door to the clubroom for the first time in a week and a half.

The next thing he sees causes his face to drop; following Yui into the clubroom is none other than Kenji Kitano. Standing at half a foot taller than Yuji, he's roughly the same height as Mikeru, making him around a foot taller than Hideyoshi.

Hair cropped short, he looks slightly unfriendly. Hideyoshi knows just how unfriendly he can be from experience, but the days of Kenji pushing him around are long over.

"Kitano! What do you think you're doing here?" Hideyoshi stands angrily, Mikeru standing from the table behind him in response. _Good old Mikeru, he might not know about what happened between me and Kitano but he's there to back me up anyway..._

"Relax Akiyama, I've got as much right to be here as you do!" He baulks slightly as Hideyoshi glares angrily at him from between his bangs, his eyes going from their usual bright and vibrant blue to as cold as ice.

"Beg to differ Kitano, I'm afraid this room is for club members only. Unless you've been invited here by the club president then I'm afraid you have no right to be here at all!" Mikeru closes the space between him and Hideyoshi, standing at the table one second and at Hideyoshi's side the next.

 _Well said Mikeru..._

"Well, I'm sure Tainaka-san doesn't have any objection to me being here, do you Tainaka? Not unless you're willing to let your lead guitarist miss yet another meeting."

Mio looks back at Ritsu frightfully. _He can't do that... can he?_

Ritsu looks back at her with a shrug and a raised eyebrow. _Only one way to find out if he can..._

"Sorry Kitano, but it seems that at least half of my club doesn't want you here... I'm going to give you one chance to leave quietly before me and the boys here throw you out..."

"Please! Like the girly-man and the scarecrow could even move me let alone throw me out."

"Give me a reason Kitano, I swear to God I'll kick your ass!" Hideyoshi's glare, if possible, seems to get even icier.

"Try it little girl. Oh wait I'm sorry, you're a boy aren't you? I'd call you a man but there's no way in hell you'd ever be one of those!"

Yui sees the effect this comment has on Hideyoshi. "Kenji-kun, that was mean..." She says with a pout.

"Shut it Yui, if I want to be mean to the girly-man I will be!"

Ritsu stands angrily, slamming her hands down on the desk in front of her.

"You have offended my club members for the last time. Leave, now!"

Mio looks shocked at Ritsu's sudden flare of anger. _Ritsu..._

"And who's gunna make me huh? You?"

"Not her. Me!" A voice growls from behind him. Standing in the doorway, directly behind Kitano, is Yuji.

Kitano turns to see him and starts to laugh.

"Really? You're going to throw me out? You couldn't throw anything. Unless maybe it was a donut aimed for your own mouth!"

Hideyoshi clenches his fists at this remark. _That's the last straw, nobody... but nobody! Makes fun of Yuji and gets away with it!_

Hideyoshi takes a step towards Kitano, but with a look from Yuji, Mikeru grabs his wrist.

"Really, that's the best you can do? You seriously think making fun of my weight's going to do anything to me?"

Kenji looks flustered, not used to someone who doesn't fight back. He tries redoubling his efforts.

"Well, I would make fun of your girlfriend, but looking at you I can already tell you'll never have one!" This comment gets more of a reaction from Azusa than it does from Yuji, as she glares at the back of Kitano's head.

"Clever. The Neanderthal has figured out my secret, what ever will I do? I'm quaking in my boots. Oh wait, I forgot to wear my boots today, so sorry. I guess you'll have to try that one another day, but for now: how about you get the fuck out of my clubroom."

Yuji says this with such calmness that it causes Kenji to cower slightly before he recovers.

"I'll get out when I feel like it, and right now I think I feel like a cup of that tea."

"You can _feel like_ what ever you want, you've got two choices; get out, or get kicked out."

"Kenji-kun, maybe we should just go..." Yui says this with a nervous glance between Yuji, standing a little _too_ calmly, and Hideyoshi, fists clenched so tight his knuckles are white and still glaring like he's trying to freeze Kenji with a look.

"I said I'll go when I feel like it. And I don't feel like it yet so I'm not going anywhere!"

"Kenji-kun please... they don't want us here can we please just go?" Yui asks this with tears welling up in her eyes, pulling insistently at Kenji's sleeve.

"No!" Kenji rips his arm from Yui's grip and backhands her, causing her to fall to the floor in tears.

"That's it!" Hideyoshi storms forward, breaking out of Mikeru's grip and covering the ground between himself and Kenji in seconds. His right fist strikes Kenji in the gut, his left following up with a hook punch to the side of the head.

The ferocity with which these punches are delivered renders Kenji unconscious. Yuji steps forward and grabs Kenji by the collar, dragging him out the door and down the stairs and dumping him in the courtyard outside.

Returning to the clubroom he finds Hideyoshi and Mugi taking care of a distraught Yui.

"Yui-senpai, are you alright?" Yuji places a hand softly on Yui's shoulder.

"K-Kenji..."

"He's downstairs, unconscious in the courtyard. He's not hurting anyone there..."

"Kenji won't..."

"He won't what?"

"He won't want to be with me anymore..." Yui bursts into tears.

"Yui-senpai, look at me." Yuji puts a tone of sternness to his voice, causing her to stop crying and look at him.

"You don't need him. Kenji Kitano is filth, he is the worst kind of man, the lowest scum. To call him the crap you scrape off of the bottom of your shoes would be an insult... to the crap you scrape off of the bottom of your shoes."

"B-but he said he loves me..."

Hideyoshi steps forward. "He says that to anything feminine enough to get his attention, before he knew I was a guy he confessed to me, now he hates me because he thinks I embarrassed him in public on purpose. Like I was the one that confessed to him... ass."

"Hi-Hideyoshi-kun... I... He..."

"Yui-senpai believe me, you're better off without him."

Yui falls silent, still crying. Yuji turns to Mio and Ritsu.

"You two ok to deal with this? I'm going to go check on that idiot and see if he's still there."

 ***** After Yuji leaves Yui calms a little and is given a cup of tea to relax her. Sitting beside her on the couch, Hideyoshi places a comforting arm around her.

"Yui-senpai? how's your face?" Yui looks confused.

"It's fine Hideyoshi-kun, why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, he did hit you pretty hard... I can still see the mark on your cheek, and I think he was wearing a ring or something because you've got a cut on your lip..."

Hideyoshi reaches up to her face, wiping the blood from her lip with his thumb gently.

"I'm fine Hideyoshi-kun... I've had worse."

Hideyoshi frowns at this.

"You've had worse? From him?"

Yui goes quiet. "Umm... no, just in general..."

"Yui... If he's hurt you before... I want you to be honest with me. Has he ever hit you before today?"

Yui hesitates, taking so long that Hideyoshi almost thinks she won't answer.

"He hits me... when I do something wrong."

"When you do something wro- Yui-senpai you could _never_ do something wrong! How could you believe that?"

"I get it, sometimes I'm a little too childish. I speak out of place or I say the wrong thing and I deserve it. But it teaches me not to do it again."

Hideyoshi pretends not to hear his sister's suppressed sob from behind them, barely succeeding on holding back his own.

 _Who does this guy think he is? To hate me for what happened is one thing but this, this is too far._

"Yui-chan... Even if you do speak out of turn or what ever... that is no reason for him to strike you. There is no reason for a man to hit a woman, especially not his own girlfriend. A man, a real man, protects his girlfriend, he doesn't hit them..."

"Y-you called me Yui-chan..." Yui says with a teary smile.

Hideyoshi smiles at her. "I guess I did... Sorry about that."

Yui shakes her head fervently. "No, it's fine. I was just surprised... Even Kenji doesn't call me Yui-chan..." She smiles again as he wipes a tear from her eye.

"Y'know Yui, maybe you should dump Kenji and go out with Hideyoshi instead." Ritsu says this with a chuckle. Hideyoshi hides his face in his hair, hoping it will cover the blush creeping across his face and Yui's face falls slightly.

"You really think I should break up with Kenji Ricchan?"

"Yui-chan, after seeing what he did to you today, the only reason for not breaking up with a guy like that is if you're planning to kill him in his sleep!"

These words, said with a tone that drips acid, surprise everyone when they leave Tsumugi's mouth.

"Mugi..." Mio looks at her friend with a worried expression.

"I'm sorry Mio-chan, but it's true..."

"We all know it's true Mugi, we just can't believe it was you that said it." Ritsu reassures Mugi with a smile.

"Anyway, it's getting late. Maybe we should head home. Yui-chan, Azusa and I can walk you home if you like?"

Yui smiles. "Sure, I'd love to walk home with you and Azu-nyan."

Azusa's sigh is heard by all. "I was hoping you'd forgotten that name Yui-senpai..."

"Huh? Azu-nyan, you Meany!" Yui pouts and pretends to be upset but in truth she's having more fun than she's had in a fortnight.

"Sorry Yui-senpai, I'd just gotten used to not hearing that name since you haven't been here all week..."

Front gate. 4:50pm

"Oh crap, I forgot my notebook! Hideyoshi-kun, you don't mind walking Yui-senpai home alone do you? I've got to go get my book, I'll see you guys on Monday." Azusa turns away from the gate and heads back to the clubroom.

"Well, she'll probably get stuck talking to Ricchan and Mio-oneechan so we should just go on ahead."

"Yeah, sure thing Hideyoshi-kun.. Lead the way."

"Yeah. Lead the way, Hideyoshi-kun!" A mocking voice calls out to them from across the front entrance courtyard.

"Kitano..." Hideyoshi mumbles under his breath and sighs.

"Girly-man.." Kenji calls out in a mocking sing-song voice. "I~t's payback time!" Hideyoshi turns with a sigh, just in time to get punched in the face.

He recovers with a glare, looking up from where he's been knocked down. Standing from his kneeling position he retaliates with a punch to Kenji's chest, he distinctly feels a rib buckle under his knuckles.

"Give up before I really hurt you Kitano! I've embarrassed you once before, don't make me do it again..."

Kenji growls and takes another swing at Hideyoshi's head, which he ducks swiftly, bringing his own fist up to Kenji's jaw in response. The punch, with all of Hideyoshi's weight and the strength of not only his arm but his legs and back as well, lifts Kenji about an inch off the ground. This causes Kenji to drop when his feet hit the ground, jarring not only his back, but his knees as well.

Kenji collapses onto the ground curling into the fetal position in pain, blood seeping from his mouth due to what he would later discover to be a knocked out tooth.

"Kenji-kun!" Yui drops to her knees at his side, turning to look at Hideyoshi in fury. "Hideyoshi-kun, why did you hit him so hard? You bully you could have really hurt him!"

"I was just defending myself Yui-cha-"

"That's Yui-senpai to you!" Yui glares at Hideyoshi with nothing short of hatred in her eyes.

Hideyoshi gives her a hurt look. "Yui-senpai..."

His face hardens. "Fine. I hope you two are happy together. Have fun walking home alone... Hirasawa!"

Hideyoshi turns abruptly and walks off in the direction of his own house before Yui can react. After he leaves she realises the significance of what he's said; for the first time since the day they met, he called her by her last name. She had seriously screwed up their friendship... and now she was walking home alone.

She couldn't, in good conscience, leave Kenji lying on the ground. So instead she waits with him, stroking his hair as he recovers from the pain now coursing through his ribcage and jaw, both of which he'll later discover are fractured.

After about five minutes he recovers from the pain enough to stand.

"Surprised you didn't go after the girly-man..." Kenji mumbles this to Yui with a sardonic tone in his voice.

"Why would I do that? He hurt you Kenji-kun, why would I want to be anywhere near him?" Yui gave Kenji a look as though saying "That's just silly..."

"Well, I'm alright now so you can go home."

"U-umm... Do you want to come to my house with me? I-I could make you some tea. Well... Ui would probably beat me to making it, but we could have some tea..." She looks up at him hopefully. (Having not stood herself just yet.)

"Fine, to be honest some tea does sound nice. Maybe I could stay the night if your parents aren't home..."

"And if Ui's ok with it... Right?"

Kenji sighs. "Yeah, right..." _That girl has it in for me... anyone would think she's Yui's mother not her sister..._

As it so happens, Ui was fine with Kenji staying the night. As long as he slept on the floor.

The two go to sleep after a short and rather meaningless conversation.

While sleeping Yui relives the afternoon's events over in her head, hearing Hideyoshi's words over and over in her mind.

After about twenty minutes of restless sleep she wakes with a rather loud sob and feels tears both on her face and pillow.

She looks over to see Kenji looking at her.

"Hey Yui-san, could you keep it down babe? I'm trying to sleep over here."

"Right, sorry Kenji-kun..." Yui rolls over and lays on her side, thinking to herself; _If that were Hideyoshi on my floor right now he wouldn't have said "Keep it down" he would ask; "Are you alright?" Gods above, what have I done..?_

With this thought in her head she silently cries herself to sleep...

 **A/N; 'kay this might seem a little out of character for Yui, and for Mugi (Maybe Mio a little too) but just remember that as was mentioned last chapter Yui and Kenji have been dating for about three weeks, and he's a fairly abusive guy (you know the type I'm talking about) so not only has Yui been 'beaten into submission' and 'broken in' for the last three weeks, Mio Mugi and Ritsu have had to witness the effects of this in class for the past three weeks. So the three have formed the opinion of "he's such a scumbag" and Yui has almost completely turned into the 'submissive girlfriend' type.**

 ***The brief scene back in chapter 2 (the one I mentioned at the end of the chapter) is where Yuji goes in this bit :3**

 **Can Hideyoshi and Yui mend their shattered relationship? Will Yui-senpai be stuck in an abusive romance for the rest of her high school life, maybe her life as a whole?**

 **Find out next time, and stay tuned for more** ** _Heart of the Light Music Club._**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N So I just wanted to pop in and warn you guys that the cat will be "talking" in this chapter, the cat will be in Italics with speech marks so you can tell the difference.**

13th May 7am

Yuji wakes on his back with a heavy feeling on his chest. Looking down he sees a cat curled up on his chest, his movements cause it to stir and send a disgruntled look in his direction.

 _"What's the deal man? I was comfortable..."_

"Sorry little lady, I didn't know you were there."

Azusa, walking down the stairs, hears Yuji talking and wonders who he's talking to.

Entering the living room she falls into a fit of giggling laughter as she sees her cat laying on him.

Yuji's head falls back onto his pillow and he looks in her direction, barely able to see her over the arm of the couch.

"Morning Azusa, sleep well?"

"Not as comfortably as the cat did apparently."

"Well I'd definitely be more comfortable with you on top of me than the cat..." Yuji mumbles this so she can't hear it, but the cat gives him a filthy look leading him to think she understood every word.

 _"That's my owner you're having dirty thoughts about mister, and I'm not moving, even for her... you're too warm."_ Giving him a contented look, the cat curls back up and a few seconds later, can be heard snoring lightly.

"Could you get her off me please... Not that I mind her being there, but I kind of need to pee..."

Azusa laughs again and walks towards him, picking the cat up and noticing as she does that Yuji doesn't appear to be wearing a shirt.

"Are you...?" Her face goes red at the thought of him topless.

"Yeah, figured you wouldn't mind I mean... I've already seen you without a shirt so..." He looks up at her with a coy smile and sits on the edge of the bed.

"My shirt's right there if it's bothering you..." He points at his shirt, resting on the arm of the chair.

"N-no... I don't mind. But, aren't you cold?"

"Nah, bonus of being my size; I don't get cold easily. I'm like a walrus..." He gives a self-deprecating chuckle as he says this.

Azusa surprises him by slapping him on the shoulder.

"Oww, what was that for?"

"Sorry, it wasn't meant to hurt... But you shouldn't say things like that about yourself! You're a wonderful person Yuji.. You're not a walrus."

Yuji chuckles at her comment. "Right, sorry.. Habit."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, in grade school I was bullied about my weight. So my solution in middle school was; if I make fun of it, they can't. The idea just, sort of, stuck..."

Azusa nods. "Makes sense I guess, but just don't do it around me mister." She points a finger warningly at him and giggles.

He laughs in response then surprises her by wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her onto the bed. The cat leaps from her arms at the sudden movement and decides it would be safer to sleep over on Yuji's shirt.

Azusa squeals in response to the unexpected movement, falling beside him in laughter.

"What was that?"

"I figured I could make it up to you for walking in on you last night..." Yuji says this coyly while leaning over Azusa.

"How..?" Azusa can see where he's going with this but wants to be sure it's what he wants to do...

"I think you know..." He reaches up and brushes her loose hair away from her face, smiling as he realises how attractive she is even with her hair down.

Still smiling at her, he leans in. Feeling her hands snake around his neck, he kisses her softly, first on the cheek, then the lips.

She sighs as she feels him kissing her and melts into it, her hands hanging loosely around his neck. She gasps as she feels a hand on her bare stomach, not realising her shirt had ridden up with all the movement.

 _He isn't going to do what I think he is... Is he?_

She feels his hand working up her chest, fifth rib. _Maybe he is..._ Fourth rib. _Do I want this yet?_ Third rib. _Now or never..._ While his hand moves up to her second rib and the base of her breast, she reaches up and grabs his wrist lightly.

"Yuji wait..."

Yuji pulls away to look Azusa in the eyes.

"What's up Azusa?"

Azusa looks back at him, trying to gauge his intentions.

"Why..."

"Why am I doing this? Because I like you Azusa... you saw that list yesterday, you're pretty much my perfect woman. After what you said last night and what you just said when I was making fun of myself, I just couldn't hold back... I guess I should've expected you wouldn't want to be with me. I mean, you could think the world of me, but I still wouldn't be good enough for _you_..."

Azusa finds herself resisting the urge to slap him again. _That's going to get harder if he keeps talking like that..._

"You're right. I don't _want_ to be with you Yuji, two weeks ago I wanted to be with you. As time went by though that want turned to need... I don't want to be with you, I _need_ to be with you... I just didn't want to go so fast... that was my first kiss after all..."

Yuji's face lights up when she finishes speaking.

"That's great! I mean not the first kiss part, a first kiss should be more romantic than that.. But if it helps that was mine too..."

"Wait but you just said-"

"-My first kiss was with you, it couldn't have been any better." Yuji smiles and leans in, resting his face against hers and softly kissing the tip of her nose. She giggles as she feels his lips on her nose and kisses his chin in response.

"That's so cheesy Yu-kun..."

"Maybe, doesn't make it any less true though."

She leans up to whisper in his ear. "I thought you needed to pee, isn't that why I moved Azu-nyan #2?"

Yuji pulls away from her with a look of confusion on his face and, sensing the cause, she flicks her eyes toward the cat, now fast asleep on his shirt.

"Seriously, you named the cat Azu-nyan #2? I thought you hated that name?"

"I do, but only because I'm not a cat! She is though, and if I didn't call her #2 then Yui-senpai would get upset..."

"That's true... Be back in a second." Yuji stands, gently lifting the cat off of his shirt and placing her on the pillow he'd used through the night.

"Why'd you do that?" Azusa seems confused at his action, having told her already that he wasn't cold she's curious as to why he'd need his shirt.

"Well I might not need to put it on for your sake, but what if you get visitors? Don't want people, especially our senpai, seeing me in your living room without a shirt on..." Yuji makes his way to the bathroom, putting his shirt back on as he goes.

Azusa reaches over and scratches behind her cat's ear. "He's a good guy Azu-nyan #2, I hope he's not toying with me..."

 _"And I thought I was the one with the little brain,"_ the cat's look makes her feel like she's being a fool.

"You're right Azu-nyan #2, Yuji wouldn't do that... besides, that list from yesterday fit me to a tee... According to Mio and Ritsu-senpai anyway.. Hop up little one, I need to fold the couch up."

 _"Fine, I'll go sleep on your bed. At least there I won't be disturbed!"_

The cat hops off the couch, giving Azusa a glare and sauntering upstairs to Azusa's room, pushing the door open with her head she jumps up onto Azusa's pillow and promptly goes to sleep.

"Ok, much better. So Azusa, what do you want to do?"

Yuji re-enters the living room talking, when he sees Azusa sitting on the couch he stops.

"Where'd the bed go..? Wait. Where did the cat go? You folded her into the couch? Azusa you bully..." Azusa looks at Yuji with a sigh.

"Of course not stupid, she ran off upstairs when I kicked her off of your pillow. Want to watch some TV and have breakfast?"

"Sure, what're the choices?"

"Well, I've got cereal. Or a toaster..."

"Hmm, well if you make up some toast we could share it.." Yuji smiles at her.

"You really are a sap aren't you Yu-kun. I'll make a plate up, strawberry jam ok for you?"

"Sure, whatever you like Azusa."

Akiyama residence 10 am

 _ **Knock Knock**_

Mio knocks on her brother's bedroom door. "Hideyoshi, are you awake in there?"

... No response.

"Oi, Hideyoshi. You missed breakfast, come on little brother I'm worried about you. You never stay in your room this long, especially not on a weekend..."

"Go away Mio!"

Mio looks shocked. Go away? Is he angry at me?

"Hideyoshi what's wrong?"

"I said go away and I meant it!"

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on!"

"Seriously Mio, FUCK OFF!" Mio's eyes widen. Hideyoshi never shouts at her, or swears at her, let alone both...

 _I think that's the first time I've ever heard him shout at anyone... is this to do with yesterday?_

"Hideyoshi.. Is this about Kitano?"

"Mio, just drop it alright!" Mio sighs. _I want to help him but I can't do that if I don't know what's upsetting him... If it's not Kitano, than what could it be..?_

Mio pulls out her phone and dials Yuji's home number.

 _"Hello, Shimada residence, Akira speaking."_

"Mister Shimada, it's Mio Akiyama. Is Yuji there?"

 _"I'm sorry Miss Akiyama, he's staying at a friend's house. Nakano, I think his name was..."_

"Nakano's a girl sir. But thank you, I'll call her and see if he's still there."

Mio hangs up, leaving Akira to the thought; _Nakano's a girl?_

Dialing another number into her phone Mio calls her kouhai's cell phone.

 _"Hello, Azusa speaking."_

"Azusa, it's Mio. Is Yuji still there?"

 _"Yes, how did you know he was here?"_

"I called his house. Can you put him on the phone please?"

 _"Sure, here he is."_

...

 _"Hello?"_

"Yuji-kun, are you busy?"

 _"Just watching TV with Azusa, why what's up Mio-chan?"_

"It's Hideyoshi, he hasn't left his room all morning, and he..."

 _"He what?"_

"When I asked him what was wrong he... He told me to fuck off..."

 _"He what?"_

"He's never sworn at me before Yuji, I'm really worried about him.."

 _"I'll be there in ten minutes."_

Yuji hangs up the phone, leaving Mio to wait in the lounge room for him to arrive.

Nakano residence

"What's happened Yuji?" Azusa looks at him with a confused expression.

"I've got to go, something's up with Hideyoshi. I'll see you later?"

"Wait, if something's upset Hideyoshi than maybe I should come with you..."

Now it's Yuji's turn to look confused. "How would that help Azusa? You've only really known him for like a month..."

Azusa looks at her hands coyly. "I know, I just wanted to spend a little more time with you, that's all..."

"Oh. Well in that case... by all means, come along." Yuji smiles and offers a hand to his little friend.

The two exchange the house slippers for their shoes and head off in the direction of Mio's house.

"Yuji, I've been thinking..."

"What's up Azusa?" Yuji looks over to Azusa while casually slipping his hand into hers.

She smiles at the casual, albeit small contact. "What... What are we going to call.. This? At school I mean, do you want to tell people outright that we're dating?"

"Well technically we're not yet, although we can fix that either today or tomorrow... But as long as it doesn't bother you I'd gladly tell the world of my feelings for you Azusa..."

Azusa blushes slightly at his determination. "Your feelings...What exactly do you feel for me Yuji..?" Azusa's voice is so soft Yuji has to strain to here her.

 _Why is she talking so quietly..?_

"Sorry Azusa, could you speak up a little I didn't quite hear that..."

Azusa takes a breath to collect herself, then tries again. "I said; what exactly are your feelings for me?" Again her nerves cause her to speak below her normal register, but not so soft that Yuji can't hear her this time.

"I thought that would've been obvious Azusa, but if you really need me to spell it out..."

"I can guess a little, but I don't want to assume..."

Yuji chuckles. _Most gorgeous girl in school, both physically and emotionally, and she's worried about upsetting me by assuming the strength of my feelings... she wonders why I love her..._

Yuji's slightly surprised at himself. _That's the first time I've admitted it... sure it wasn't out loud but now I can be certain; I love Azusa Nakano..._

"Well, in truth Azusa... the full extent of my feelings is this; you..." Yuji sighs, slightly unsure of how to word his thoughts.

"You.. You fill a gap."

"A gap?" _That's it? That seems a little... well little..._ Azusa thinks ruefully to herself.

"A gap that, until I met you, I didn't even know was there.. You complete me Azusa, when I'm with you I'm at peace. Perfectly content, calm. There's a reason I didn't chase those guys that tried to mug you and Hirasawa last week, well two actually. Firstly I was worried that you were hurt... but also; I saw you, after they'd left. And no matter how shaken or unsettled you looked, to me you were perfection. And in that moment, all of my anger washed away. All thoughts of hurting those men were replaced, with thoughts of you..."

Azusa finds herself wiping a tear away from her cheek as the two continue walking and turn onto Mio's street.

"Yuji.. I don't know what to say, that was..."

"Sappy? I know, I guess you bring that out in me too... Azusa. I have one purpose in this world, just one. I used to think that one purpose was protecting those that are weaker than me, and don't get me wrong I'll still do that. But now I see; my one true purpose in this world... is you. To love you, to be by your side for as long as you'll let me..."

"Oh." Azusa feels the gasp escape her mouth before she can stop it. "Yuji..."

She places her hand on his shoulder and stops walking, causing him to stop too.

"Yuji, nobody has ever loved me that deeply... nobody has even tried to love me, except my parents and they don't count, their love's... different." She smiles wistfully as she thinks of her parents briefly.

"But you... Why do you love me? Yuji I'm... I'm a nobody. Sure I play in a band and I'm not exactly ugly... but, I'm just another girl, no different to the rest at our school... why me and not Yui-senpai, or Mugi-senpai. Even Ritsu-senpai would be a better girlfriend than me..."

Azusa jumps slightly in shock as she feels Yuji's hand bounce off the back of her head. "Oww... What-" Yuji interrupts her with a gentle finger rested upon her lips.

"-That is the first and last time I will ever hit you, and this is the first and last time I will ever say this; You are a thousand times better than any of the other girls at our school, Yui-senpai? Mugi-senpai? And Ricchan of all people? Azusa, you're a million times the better girlfriend than Ricchan! You are not "Just another girl" Azusa, and you're not a nobody, you're you. And it's the you that makes me love you so deeply. The fact that you think I could have someone better is as laughable as it is adorable for two reasons; Firstly there is no better than Azusa Nakano, and secondly; the fact that I got a girlfriend at all is miracle enough, the fact that I got the best girlfriend in history? Well... let's just say I'll be donating a few thousand yen to the local shrine at some point this week..."

Yuji moves the hand on Azusa's face to the back of her neck and steps towards her, pulling her into a tender kiss he tries to convey as much of his love as he can into it.

When the two separate Azusa smiles. She feels Yuji, deeper and closer in that kiss than she ever has before now, and she returns her feelings by responding to his kiss with her own.

Pulling away from him a second time Azusa sighs contently, her hands snaked around Yuji's neck, his arms fallen and wrapped around her waist.

"Yuji, I don't deserve you. But I love you, and if I ever need to I'll fight to keep you..." Azusa leans forward and rests her head on his chest in a hug, Yuji smiles at her words, wrapping his arms tightly around her back he rests his chin softly on the top of her head.

Azusa giggles. "So that's why you wanted a short girlfriend..."

"Yep, perfect fit. We should get going, I want to know what's up with Hideyoshi..."

Azusa nods as they break apart, turning towards Mio's house the pair walk to the front door and knock, waiting for Mio to answer.

Akiyama Residence

Mio stands when she hears a knock on the door, opening it she sees Yuji, closely followed by Azusa.

"Oh, Azusa-chan you came too. Welcome."

"Thanks, sorry for the inconvenience. I know you were expecting Yuji to be alone but..."

"Couldn't give him up just yet huh?" Mio says this with a sly grin in Azusa's direction.

Azusa blushes as she nods slightly.

"Anyway... Hideyoshi?"

"Yeah, he's still in his room. I'm really worried about him Yuji he's never sworn at me, or shouted at me before much less both at the same time..."

"Well I'll have words with him, see what's going on." Yuji heads upstairs to Hideyoshi's bedroom and knocks on his door.

"Go away Mio!"

"It's Yuji." silence falls for a couple of seconds.

"Oh... Go away Yuji."

"Dude, you know I'm not going anywhere, just open the damn door."

Yuji stands in front of the door for minutes before he hears the lock click and sees the handle turn.

"What do you want Yuji?"

"You swore at your sister..."

"Yeah, so? You here to ground me for it?" Yuji glares at Hideyoshi's sarcasm.

"No, I'm here to see what's got you in such a foul mood. You were fine when you left school yesterday."

"It's nothing d-"

"Bullshit. As long as I've known you you've never raised your voice, and you've never sworn at your family..."

Hideyoshi sighs and walks away from the door towards his bed. Yuji takes this as permission to enter and walks in behind him.

"It's Yui-senpai..."

"What about her? You walked her home yesterday, did something happen?"

"No, I didn't walk her home.. We got as far as the gate and Kitano showed up again. He threw a punch, so I knocked him on his ass. I may have been a bit rough in doing it and Yui-senpai got angry at me for it..."

"When did you start calling her senpai again. Azusa told me you were calling her chan in the clubroom after I left..."

"That was before she corrected me... I dropped Kenji, she checked on him.. Told me off for putting him down so hard, I went to call her chan and she corrected me to senpai... She gets smacked around by the guy and she still sticks up for him! She corrected me and I said "Fine, I hope you two are happy together. Have fun walking home alone... Hirasawa..."

"You've never called her Hirasawa, what were you thinking?"

"I know! Alright I know I screwed up, the last thing she needed was to think I don't care for her anymore. Especially since that's the furthest thing from the truth..."

"You love her... you've got to call her dude, now. Use Mio's phone if you don't have her number, or Azusa's... but you've got to call her before she does something you both regret..."

Hideyoshi realises what Yuji's hinting at and, leaping off the bed, bounds down the stairs two at a time.

He races into the living room where Mio and Azusa are seated, chatting over their morning's events.

"Sis, I need to borrow your phone."

"After the way you spoke to me this morning why the hell should I do that?"

"Please sis, it's important..." Yuji, having followed him down the stairs, addresses Mio.

"Mio-chan, he needs to make an important call and you two are the only ones with the number..."

"Oh, well than here you go little brother."

Hideyoshi takes Mio's phone from her outstretched hand and scrolls through her contacts.

Finding the number he's looking for he hopes he's not too late to stop her from doing anything stupid.

Hirasawa residence 11:00am

Yui rolls over as she hears her phone playing Curry & Rice. Looking to the floor she sees that Kenji isn't there. _I wonder where he's gone..._

She picks up her phone and mumbles into it.

"Hello?"

"Yui-senpai!" Yui takes a moment to recognise the voice.

"Hideyoshi-kun..? Why are you calling me so early?"

"Yui.. We need to talk, can you come over?"

"I don't know where you live Hideyoshi-kun..."

"Sure you do, I'm Mio's brother remember.. I live with her."

"Oh right, be there in ten minutes."

Yui gets up off her bed and changes into the first thing she can find.

Dressed and ready to go she heads down to the kitchen to tell Ui where she's going.

"Ui-chan I'm going to Mio's house for a while.. Oh, Kenji-kun I thought you'd gone home already..."

"Nope, thought I'd say bye to my lady first. So... see ya." Kenji gets up and heads out the door.

"I'll see you later sis."

"Huh? Are you going somewhere too Ui?"

"You said you were going to Akiyama-senpai's house..."

"Oh right, yeah. See ya." Yui heads out the door herself, in the direction of Mio's house.

Akiyama residence 11:25am

Mio looks up from the group seated in the living room when she hears a knock at the door.

"That will be your guest Hideyoshi... Shall we give the two some privacy girls?" Yuji smiles at Mio and the back of Azusa, who is currently sat on his lap.

"Sure, but where can we go?"

"Let's go hide in the kitchen while Yui and bro head upstairs, then we can just come back out here..."

"That works..." Yuji and Azusa stand up, Azusa first on account of her having sat on Yuji.

As they're heading into the kitchen Hideyoshi opens the front door.

"Hideyoshi-kun, what was it you wanted to talk about?"

"Yui-senpai... come in, we'll go up into my room so we don't disturb Onee-chan."

"Sure." Yui replies with a smile that suggests she doesn't even remember yesterday's altercations.

As they make their way upstairs Hideyoshi starts explaining why he's called her here.

"Yui-senpai... I couldn't sleep last night."

"Aww, what's up Hideyoshi-kun, did you have a nightmare?"

"No, I couldn't _get to_ sleep... I couldn't get our fight out of my head. I kept thinking that all afternoon I was telling you how a man should act, then I get the chance and I prove just how men can act..."

Yui sighs. _Well so much for the cheerful facade... I should've known it wouldn't work on him..._ "I couldn't get what you'd said out of my head last night either Hideyoshi... that was the first time you've called me by my last name."

As she speaks Hideyoshi holds his bedroom door open for her and invites her to sit on the bed beside him.

"For half the night I was thinking that I'd upset you. That you didn't like me anymore... then when I finally got to sleep I woke up in tears... Kenji stayed over last night.. Y'know what he said when I woke up in tears?"

"I've no idea senpai..." Yui grimaces slightly as he calls her Senpai.

"Please, go back to calling me Yui... He said; "Hey babe, could you keep it down I'm trying to sleep here..." The first thing I thought was; If that was Hideyoshi he wouldn't say Keep it down, he'd say what's wrong..."

"No, if it was me I would've known what was wrong in that instance... since it was my fault you were crying..." He mumbles the last line, lowering his head in shame.

"Hideyoshi... You weren't the one that fell for Kitano's crap... it's no-ones fault but my own."

"Yui, you can't believe that and neither do I. Kitano wasn't the one that made you cry yesterday, that's on me... Kitano's a dick for making you bleed, I'm a dick for making you cry..."

"Hideyoshi-kun, you're not a dick. You've got one, but you're not one..."

Hideyoshi chuckles. "That was terrible Yui-chan."

"I know, but it's true. I hope..."

"Of course it is!" Hideyoshi feels his face heat up at Yui's implication.

"Calm down Hideyoshi-kun, I was just joking."

"Right... I knew that.. Yui I shouldn't have left you yesterday, I walked away and I made you think I didn't care and that's the furthest thing from the truth!"

"What do you mean Hideyoshi-kun?" Yui looks at him confusedly.

 _Gods she can be dense..._ "Yui-chan... I don't hate you. I could never hate you..."

"I thought.. After you called me Hirasawa, I thought you'd hate me forever..."

"It's not you I hate, it's what Kitano's turned you into..." Hideyoshi gets up, heads to his bag and fishes his notebook out of it, turning to the song he wrote yesterday he hands it to Yui for her to read.

"What's this?"

"It's a song, I wrote it in the clubroom yesterday, with you in mind..."

"Oh..." Yui reads the story/song closely.

When she finishes she looks up at Hideyoshi confusedly.

"Why are you showing me this Hideyoshi-kun... I don't really understand.. Is there a point to these lyrics?"

"The moral of this song is that Kenji is holding you back, keeping you locked away from the world... He's smothering everything that makes you who you are. Yui-chan, you're incredible... you could be anything you want to be but Kenji doesn't want that for you, he just wants to keep you all to himself... Like Rapunzel in her little tower, alone... forever..."

As he speaks Hideyoshi's eyes fall from Yui's face to stare sadly at his feet. When he hears Yui drop the notebook he looks up to see her with tears in her eyes.

"Yui-chan..."

"Hideyoshi-kun, I never knew you thought so highly of me..."

"Yui... I couldn't think any higher of you than I do already... You're an amazing person Yui-chan, and Kenji doesn't deserve you..."

Yui's face drops. "I know, at first I thought he made me happy and to begin with he did..."

"But he hasn't since then... Has he?"

"The first time he hit me, I said; "What did you do that for?" You want to know what he said in response..?"

"Probably not, but tell me anyway." Yui looks up at him to see the gentle smile on his face as his hand rests on her shoulder.

"He said; "Because you deserved it." I said what did I do to deserve it and he said; you talked back..."

"He hit you because you talked back to him? Who the hell does he think he is?"

"Hideyoshi-kun... I don't want to be with him anymore... but.. He won't take no for an answer, you know what he's like..."

"Better than most... Here's what you need to do; write a song to break up with him, make it sort of upbeat. Not something that says "We're over." That won't work, you need to write something that says "I'm my own woman, you don't own me and if you can't handle that then walk away..." He can't stand an independent woman, trust me... he'll leave."

"O-Ok... but why does it need to be upbeat?"

"Because if it's all slow and depressing he won't believe it. Besides, if it's upbeat we can perform it at the festival with my song and we can do a medley with them..." Hideyoshi smiles at his senpai as her face lights up.

"There's the Yui-senpai we all know and love..." Yui blushes.

"You love me..?" Hideyoshi's face goes a deep shade of red as he blushes in turn.

"I-it's a figure of speech Yui-chan..."

Yui pouts playfully. "Aww, got my hopes up for nothing, Hideyoshi you meany..."

Hideyoshi's at a loss, he has no clue how to respond to his senpai's seemingly flirtatious actions.

"Yui-senpai... you shouldn't flirt with me like that..."

"Why not, I do it with Azu-nyan all the time." Yui smiles.

"Because I actually have feelings for you... but, you can do a lot better..." Hideyoshi lowers his head as he says this.

"Hideyoshi-kun... are you saying.. What I think you're saying?" Yui's hand makes its way to Hideyoshi's.

He pulls his hand out of Yui's grasp, leaving her looking surprised.

"Didn't you just say-"

"-Doesn't matter what I said! Yui, you can do better than Kitano... I'm not better! I'm not worse, but I'm not better.. I'm... on par with Kitano, you can do a lot better than me!"

Yui stands up, huffing loudly as she does. "Maybe I can! But I don't want better 'Yoshi-kun... At least I know you'll treat me right!"

"Yui..."

"No! I don't want to throw this opportunity away Hideyoshi! If I try to find better than Kitano in another guy at our school then chances are; I'll end up finding another overpossesive asshole!"

Yui storms forward and before Hideyoshi can react; she's planted her lips firmly on his.

Surprised at first by her forwardness, Hideyoshi takes a minute to react. When he finally does react, he does so by kissing Yui back.

A moment after he kisses her back he realises what's happening and pulls away from her, a sad look on his face.

"Yui... I can't even begin to tell you how much I've dreamt this would happen but..." Hideyoshi shakes his head sadly. "Not like this... Yui, you've got a shot at real happiness, but with me.. That's not happiness Yui, that's settling."

Yui looks shocked at his implication.

"Hideyoshi, I'm not settling! You're a great guy, you're way better than Kenji."

"Yui, even if that were true, which it's not.. You can do a lot better than me."

Yui glares at Hideyoshi's insistence.

"Give me one good reason that you're worse than him Hideyoshi and I'll drop the whole thing!"

"You promise?"

Yui nods insistently. "Promise."

Hideyoshi sighs. "Fine, Kenji's an overbearing, overpossesive asshole. But you want to know why I'm worse than him... Here it is;"

Hideyoshi pouts at having to reveal his dark secret.

"... I.. I'm a... a sis-con..."

Yui falls silent in surprise.

The awkward silence hangs in the air for what seems like hours before Yui finally speaks up.

"... I should probably go.. I told Ui I wouldn't be long so..."

Hideyoshi mentally sighs. "Right... see ya..."

Yui leaves the room quietly, leaving Hideyoshi standing in the middle of his room, a tear rolling down his cheek as his face contorts in pain.

I'm sorry Yui-senpai... I hate lying to you almost as much as I hate having to scare you away... but there's nobody less worthy of your affections than me...

The trio in the lounge looks up in surprise as they hear footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Yui-chan, what's wrong.. Why are you crying?"

"Mio-chan... Hideyoshi-kun's... he.. He.. He doesn't want to be with me..."

"What on earth are you talking about Yui-senpai?"

Yui looks at Yuji with tears streaming down her face. "He said he's not good enough for me and I asked him why... he.. He said he's a... a.. Sis-con..."

Yuji throws his head back and laughs, sounding quite maniacal while he does.

"Yu-kun, why is that funny?" Azusa looks worriedly at her new boyfriend as she asks this.

Mio on the other hand is glaring daggers at the man. "Yes Yuji, why is that funny?"

Yuji slowly winds down his laughter before replying. "I'm sorry Mio-chan, but that's ridiculous. The man's told me every secret he's kept since grade school, you don't think "I'm in love with my sister" wouldn't have come up along with all the others?"

Azusa chuckles quietly as he says this.

Yui looks confusedly at him. "So you're saying he lied to me..?"

"Yes Yui-senpai. Rather blatantly at that... what else did he say to you?"

"Well, he told me I shouldn't flirt with him like I do with Azu-nyan, and when I asked why he said because he actually has feelings for me.. Then when I tried to kiss him he kissed me back then pulled away... He said I can do a lot better than him, then when I asked why he told me that and I.. I left..."

Yuji sighs. "He was obviously trying to scare you off Yui-senpai. For whatever reason he believes he's not good enough for you.. Might have something to do with his violent and cocky personality..."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, don't get me wrong here he's a great guy but... he seems to have a habit for getting into fights... Hideyoshi doesn't take too kindly to people who think he's a girl, and that's most people... When guys flirt with him he tends to respond with his fists more than his words. The fact that most guys he hits go down after one or two punches has given him an almost "I'm invincible" mindset when it comes to fighting. Now he's just... overconfident..."

"But why would that make him think he's not good enough for me?"

"I guess it bothers him more than he admits. He's such a dangerous person to be around sometimes, maybe he thinks someone as innocent as you can't handle it... or that you don't deserve it."

Azusa pipes up at this. "Well, last month he would've been right-"

"-Hey, who you callin' innocent?"

Azusa continues with a sigh.

"...Not an insult senpai. But what Hideyoshi seems to have forgotten is that she's spent the last two or three weeks in a fairly abusive relationship... if he thinks she can't handle a little violence by now than he clearly isn't seeing the same Yui we are..."

"Well, if he's anything like me than he's deliberately not seeing her now... he's seeing her as he fell for her, Yui at her best and brightest... her most innocent."

"So how do I convince him he's wrong?"

"You could write him a song, I mean that's what he did for you..."

"Right, that's a great idea Mio-chan... Wait how do you know about the song he wrote?"

"He was writing it in the clubroom yesterday Yui..."

"Oh.. Right... I'll do that then, looks like I've got some homework, that's two songs I've got to write now." Yui looks at the trio with a determined smile before turning and leaving.

"See you guys at school on Monday."

After Yui leaves the three shares a look of disbelief. Hideyoshi comes down the stairs five minutes later.

"Well, here's the sis-con now..." Yuji says this with a barely contained smile on his face.

"Stow it Yuji. I was rushed, it was the worst thing that came to mind..."

"Right, because sis-con is a terrible thing with a sister as hot as yours... anyway you can drop the act she saw right through it."

Yuji's comment about Mio causes the girl to blush and Azusa gives him a slight glare. Hideyoshi looks worried at his second comment.

"What do you mean she saw right through it? I mean, I love the girl to hell and back, but she's nowhere near that clever..."

Azusa answers his question for him. "Yeah, she didn't see through it... until she came down here in tears, we wanted to know why, she told us, and Yuji here." She throws him another soft glare. "Threw his head back and started laughing like a madman."

"Damnit Yuji! I told her that to sc-"

"-Oh, I know full well why you told her that. What I want to know is why you wanted to scare her away when she loves you as madly as you love her!"

Yuji stands up from his seat beside Azusa, his balled hands falling to his sides in anger.

"You are the filthiest hypocrite I've ever met! You spend hours, literally hours, pining over this girl. Worried that you've ruined your friendship with her, then you're telling her you're in love with Mio? You don't think that might have fucked things up just a little bit?!"

"How dare you! You can't sit there on your high horse mister "Oh I'm so lonely, cracking jokes makes me sad." Back the fuck off Yuji, my feelings for Yui are completely irrelevant, she can do a hell of a lot better than me."

"Y'know, I agree with you there."

"What?"

"I agree. Yui can do a lot better than you. At least Kenji isn't a simpering coward!"

"You're pushing your luck Yuji..." Hideyoshi glares ice at Yuji.

"Oh dear, have I upset the cocky little upstart? I'm so sorry for pointing out the obvious! God damn it Hideyoshi you couldn't be more arrogant if you tried!"

"Who the hell are you calling cocky?"

"You. You take down a couple of flirty dickweeds and suddenly you're the most dangerous guy on campus, well. I've got news for you Hideyoshi; there are a lot more dangerous people in this town than you! You think Yui can do better, just because you're a little violent sometimes? NEWSFLASH; She's dating _Kenji Kitano_. The only guy in school with a bigger ego than yours!"

"Kenji's nothing but filth and you know it Yuji, but I'm almost as bad..."

"If you mean almost as full of yourself than I agree completely."

Azusa looks at him in shock. "Yuji..." Yuji holds a hand up to silence her. The next few minutes pass with the boys glaring daggers at each other.

"Get out!" Hideyoshi demands of Yuji.

"Make me..." Yuji issues the challenge, almost carelessly.

Hideyoshi takes three steps towards Yuji before Mio intervenes.

"OK boys, put the rulers away and zip up. You two are best friends, have been since grade school so if you're going to come to fists than by all means; knock it off!"

Hideyoshi looks at Mio in surprise.

"Mio-oneechan, you really expect me to let him get away with saying all of that?"

"Yes Hideyoshi, I do. And here's why; Yuji is your best friend, he knows you better than anyone else. If you can honestly tell me anything he's said in the past five minutes is wrong then by all means; take offence. But you know as well as I do that he's 100% right..."

Hideyoshi turns his glare from Yuji to his sister before turning abruptly and storming back up to his bedroom.

Azusa stands up beside Yuji and gets his attention with a slap on the cheek.

Yuji takes the hit with a light cringe, looking away from her with closed eyes he waits for the onslaught of rage about to pour forth from his now potentially ex-girlfriend.

"Silence me with a finger? You think you own me or something?"

Yuji sighs. "Of course not Azusa... I'm sorry for seeming presumptuous, but there's a reason I picked that fight with Hideyoshi and I didn't want to ruin it by explaining myself to you in front of him..."

"Oh..." Azusa's anger seems to have completely deflated.

"So... what's the reason?"

"I wanted to give him something to think about... to point out not only why Yui likes him but why he's wrong for denying her feelings..." Yuji turns to Mio, who looks to be on the verge of an emotional breakdown.

"Thanks for breaking it up Mio... I really didn't want that fistfight to happen..."

"Worried you'd hurt him?"

"Well there's that, but I also didn't want to have to walk home with a sore face." Azusa giggles.

"Pity, I could have played nurse..."

She leans into his side with a hug. Leaning back into her he smiles down at her.

"You in a nurse's outfit, could be kind of hot..." Azusa looks up at him with a glare as he uses the word hot, reminding her of his comment about Mio.

"Speaking of hot..."

 _Uh oh..._ "What about it..?"

Mio comes to Yuji's rescue once more.. "I think she's talking about what you called me Yuji."

 _Ok, maybe she didn't help so much that time._

"Thanks Mio-chan, I got it. Azusa, you're not hot."

Azusa pulls away from him in shock.

"What?"

"You're not hot... You're not beautiful, or cute, or sexy or even attractive..."

Azusa's eyes have welled up with tears and she turns away from Yuji with crossed arms.

Yuji sighs as he gently grabs her shoulder and turns her back to him.

"You're not any of those things Azusa and here's why; You, Azusa Nakano, are perfect..."

Azusa's face changes from saddened shock to flattered surprise.

"Yuji..." She wraps her arms around him in another hug.

"We should head off, good luck with him Mio, he can be pretty stubborn sometimes..."

"Right well, once he figures out what you wanted him to I'm telling him why you picked that fight. I don't want you two at odds at school because of this."

"Fair enough. Come on Azusa, I want to introduce you to my dad."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N; sorry it took so long, I've been sitting on the chapter for a little while *cue nervous laugh* please don't murder me o_0**

13th of May Shimada residence 4:30 pm

"Dad, I'm home. I brought Nakano with me..."

"Welcome home you two, Yuji come in here a minute will you."

Yuji walks into the kitchen after telling Azusa how to get to his room.

"What's up dad?" Yuji's shocked to feel his father's hand across the back of his head.

"Oww, what was that for?"

"You told me you were staying at a friend's place last night."

"I did..."

"You told me that friends name was Nakano."

"Yeah... it is..."

"Not once did you think to mention that the person you'd be sharing a house with, without adult supervision was _A GIRL_!"

Yuji sighs. "Ah... I knew I forgot to mention something... I didn't think it mattered dad, but..."

"What?"

"Well, we kind of... hooked up, this morning..."

"Hooked up?" Akira is angry at his son's use of modern colloquialisms that he doesn't understand.

"Yeah, we kissed... well, a lot. For like ten minutes... and now we're together." Yuji smiles at his dad, hoping he'll be happy.

"Have you even met the girl's parents?"

"Umm..." Yuji thinks back, trying to recall if her parents had ever been at her house when he had. "No, I don't think so..."

"Then you're not dating! I will not have my son blatantly disrespect this girl's family by not asking her father's permission to date her!"

Azusa walks in with a gentle knock on the door frame. Akira's face goes from raging tempest to gentle breeze in the blink of an eye.

"Miss Nakano, a pleasure to meet you..." He smiles at Azusa. _Well, at least she's good looking... I was beginning to wonder about the boy to be honest, but that's still no reason for him to start a relationship without talking to the girl's parents first!_

"Mister Shimada.. The pleasure is mine." Azusa responds politely before saying what she came to say.

"Umm.. I couldn't help but overhear what you two were arguing about... My parents are very... new age. They really don't care that much about what I do or who I do it with..."

"Be that as it may Miss Nakano, I am not "new age" and Yuji here knows it. He will ask your father's permission, whether it can be assumed or not, before you two have mine to start dating. It's bad enough the two of you slept under the same roof without adult supervision last night..."

"Of course sir, and I take full blame for that... it was me who asked after all..."

Akira sighs at the innocent look on Azusa's face. _Boy, she sure knows how to pluck at the heartstrings of an angry old man..._

"Fine, seeing as you're alone for the week you're more than welcome to stay here.. We have a spare bedroom after all..."

"Umm..." Sensing the cause of her hesitation, Yuji speaks up.

"Don't worry about it Azusa, we can go and get your cat. She'll be happier here with three people than just you alone anyway. And maybe she'll help dad warm up a little to the idea of us together." Yuji smiles, first at Azusa then at Akira.

Akira however glares at his son. "Fine with me, I like cats... And I work from home so she won't be alone while the two of you are at school..."

Azusa's face lights up. Yuji, seeing it coming, was smart enough to look away.

 _Whoa_ , Akira thinks to himself. _I'm blind..._ He finds himself unknowingly echoing his son's thoughts from the previous afternoon.

"Thank you so much mister Shimada..."

"Please, call me Akira."

"Azusa, thank you for letting me stay with you Akira-Sama."

 _Sama... the girl's parents might be new age, but at least they taught her proper manners..._ Yuji's father thinks to himself while he pours himself a drink.

"C'mon Azusa, I'll show you to the spare room." Yuji smiles at the small girl beside him while gesturing an arm to the staircase.

Hirasawa residence 9:30pm

Ui sits at the table, sipping her tea. _Big sis has been up in her room since she got back… she missed dinner… I wonder if she's alright._

As if her thoughts alone called on the girl, Yui comes down the stairs as soon as Ui finishes her thought.

"Nee-chan, are you ok? You've missed dinner. I saved you a plate of course; I can heat it up if you're hungry?"

"I was wondering why I felt so hungry… what time is it?"

"It's nine-thirty. You've been in your room for almost eight hours now…"

"Oh. I'd love some food, thanks Ui." Yui smiles at her sister, carefree as she was before she started dating Kitano. It surprises Ui; she hasn't seen that smile in nearly a month.

"What've you been doing up there Sis?"

"I've been writing a couple of songs, one for Kenji and one for Hideyoshi-kun."

Ui doesn't miss the lack of honorific for the _"boyfriend"_ but chooses to ignore it.

"So does that mean you've finished them, since you're down here now..?"

"Yep, put the finishing touches on the song for Kenji just now, all I've got to do now is find someone that can play the violin and I'm all set. I can perform both at the festival next week."

"Nee-chan, the shrine festival isn't that sort of festival… I'm not sure they'd let you play your music there…"

"It's cool, Mikeru-kun's friends with the family that runs the shrine, he got us a gig there. As long as there's no swearing in the songs than we're fine to perform all night long if we want to!" Yui bounces happily at the prospect of an all-night performance.

"Wow, it's a good thing he has that connection than I suppose…"

"He's a really friendly guy; I'd be surprised if he wasn't friends with at least three of the people that run that shrine."

Ui giggles. "Big sis, there's _only_ three people running that shrine…" *****

"Oh… well that's just my point, he's probably friends with all three of them."

"So, do I get to hear your songs?"

"Yep, in a week. When we play them at the shrine festival."

"Aww sis! No fair." Ui pouts at her sister, placing the food she'd been warming as they talked in front of her.

"Even if I wanted to play them for you, I need a violinist for one of them, and I haven't sorted out the tempo for the other. I don't know if it'll be slow or fast yet…"

"Well if all you need's a violinist; Shimada-kun plays the violin…"

"… How do you know that and I don't? He's in _my_ club!"

"True, but he's in _my_ class, and you've only been to your clubroom twice in the past month, I know _that_ because Hideyoshi's been asking me if you're ok every day for the past month. The only time he doesn't ask is if you were in the clubroom the previous day…"

"Aww… that's sweet of him to worry… Kenji never worries about me…" Yui mumbles the last part under her breath, so her sister doesn't catch on to her plan to dump him.

"Thank you for the food Ui-chan~!" Yui gives her sister a quick bow before tucking into her dinner.

Shimada residence 10pm

"Yuji-kun, are you ok? You're kind of quiet…"

"I'm fine Azu-chan, just a little concerned."

"About Akiyama-kun?"

"Nah, he'll sort himself out alright. No it's Yui-senpai that I'm worried about…"

Azusa tilts her head at him in confusion.

"Why are you worried about Yui-senpai?"

"Well, Kenji's notorious for not letting things go, especially if that thing is a girl…"

As if willed by his melancholy, Yuji's phone rings.

"Shimada" He answers into his phone.

 _"Shimada-kun, Onee-chan want's to talk to you…"_

"Oh, ok Hirasawa-chan, put her on."

 _"Yu-kun, are you there?"_

Yuji sighs, thinking to himself; _No, you're talking to yourself…_

"Yeah, it's me Yui-senpai, what can I do for you?"

 _"Is it true that you can play violin?"_

"Yeah… why?"

 _"Great! I need your help…"_

"Why? Do you want to learn it?"

Azusa tilts her head curiously again, wondering what Yuji could teach her senpai that she wouldn't ask any of the others to teach her.

 _"No no no no no! I need you to play it in a song I've written.  
I'm planning on making Kenji break up with me,  
and I need a really good song to hit back with when he does,  
I need you to play the violin parts of the song I've written for it."_

"Oh, ok sure. I can do that no problems. Just write up the sheet music for me."

 _"Yeah… how do I do that..?"_

"It's easy senpai, it's the same as it is for guitar,  
it'll just sound a little different when it's played is all.  
But you can make changes when I play it for you if you need to."

 _"Ok cool, I'll be there tomorrow then, say… 10:30?"_

"Sounds good, see you tomorrow senpai."

Yuji hangs the phone up and turns to Azusa who still looks really confused.

"Well, Yui-senpai wants me to play violin in a song she's written."

 **A/N; ok, I only just noticed that this is a really short chapter so sorry for that XD**

 **Also, I was reading back over the previous chapters (on the site not on my copy) and I noticed there were a couple of formatting errors, some thoughts that weren't Italicised and in the authors note on chapter one I still call the story the (C)overlords (which was the original title before JayxNitro helped me think up a better one, cheers for that buddy ^_^)**

 **I also forgot to put in disclaimers in the previous two chapters so I'll just say here that any music used in this story is the intellectual property of the writers and performers, none of the songs in this story were written by me. if that changes (which is unlikely as I have no rhythm at all so I'm unlikely to write my own songs XD) I will inform the readers by naming the song that I own. So unless stated otherwise, assume the songs belong to someone that isn't me. (most are fairly obvious, let's make it a guessing game: see who can correctly name the artist that performed the songs in the story ^_^ go ahead guys, give it a go :p)**

 ***Yuji clears his throat and points meaningfully at the doc.***

 **... Oh right! the annotation: *this is fairly common in Japan as most small town shrines (or small province shrines) are run by only one or two families, so it's very possible for a shrine to only have one or two people running it.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N; I'll keep this one short, 'cause I think that last chapter was more author note than content XD my bad. Anyway next chapter's up and this is the chapter before the festival so this is mostly rehearsing (with a little drama thrown in for good flavour ^_^) Enjoy :)**

Takogawa Park 14th of May 7:30 am

Yui waits nervously by the fountain, looking over at the shrine grounds across the street from the park, eagerly picturing the performance next week.

A tap on her shoulder causes her to turn and she sees Kenji.

 _I hope this works…_

"Yui. Why'd you want to meet here today, I was going to hang with my friends today."

"Isn't a girl allowed to surprise her boyfriend with a picnic date?"

Kenji smiles at the prospect of Ui's food. _She may not like me but that sister of Yui's can cook…_

Yui however has other plans…

"Ok, so let's sit down than…" She leads Kenji to a blanket she'd laid out for them, about an hour ago.

"Whoa!" Kenji springs to his feet the minute he sits down.

"What's wrong Kenji-kun?" Yui asks innocently, knowing full well what caused his outburst.

"The blanket's wet! Why is it wet?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry… the ground must have been damp when I put it down, I'm so stupid." Yui smacks herself on the forehead as she says this, relying on her acting skill to cover the fact that she did that on purpose.

Kenji sighs. "It's fine, let's just sit on the grass… at least _that_ should be dry by now…"

He gingerly feels the ground, testing its dampness and, feeling that it's dryer than the blanket, he sits down.

"So where's this food?"

Yui eagerly grabs the basket from off the blanket.

"Right here Kenji-kun." She stumbles a little on her way over, throwing the basket at him. Luckily, or so he thinks, he catches it without losing any of the food.

"God you're a klutz, watch where you step would ya!"

Yui looks suitably chastised, or at least pretends to… "Sorry Kenji-kun…"

"And quit it with the Kun crap, just because we're dating doesn't mean you can get so impolite, you don't hear me calling you Yui-chan all the time do you?!"

Yui glares at him through her bangs which, luckily for her, are long enough that he doesn't notice.

"Sorry Kenji…" She stops herself from saying Kun easily, having already done it in her head and to everyone but him.

"That's better I suppose, I would prefer Sama, but that'll do." He opens the basket and pulls out a small container of "Casserole."

Grabbing one of the spoons from in the basket he eagerly digs into the food, eating about six spoonfuls before noticing that it doesn't taste as nice as it usually does…

"Who the hell made this?" He demands of his girlfriend, coughing and spluttering all the while.

Yui looks at him as if he's asked a stupid question.

"I did of course. Who else would I let cook for my Kenji?"

"Umm how about your sister? Y'know, the one of you that can actually cook!"

"I thought it looked good…"

"IT MIGHT _LOOK_ GOOD, BUT IT _TASTES_ LIKE YOU FISHED IT OUT OF THE GARBAGE!"

Kenji's shouting attracts the attention of several people who are taking their dogs for an early morning walk.

Yui looks suitably downtrodden by his insult. _Like I'd waste my cooking skills or Ui's on you!_ She thinks to herself with another Bang-hidden glare.

"I'm s-sorry Kenji… I th-thought it would be a… a good treat. To cook for you myself for once…."

"Well unless you want to kill me-"

 _Don't tempt me,_ Yui's thought interrupts his reprimand briefly.

"-Next time use your damn head and let Ui do the cooking. Got it!?"

"O-ok Kenji…"

"God you take so long to train! Just when I think I've got you broken in you go and do something stupid like this!"

 _Broken in? Do I look like a horse to you asshole!?_

"I'm sorry…"

"No! Sorry's not going to cut it this time Yui!" He's about to break up with her when a better idea comes to mind, a way to discipline her, break her, and give his dastardly mind a reward, all at once.

"If you're really sorry… than come with me into the toilets…"

"W-what? Why?" Kenji backhands her as she says this.

"WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT THAT WORD! Be thankful I don't make you suck me off in the middle of the park! Now come with me into the toilets, or we're done!"

Yui looks at him in shock, hoping her disgust is masked well enough by the "disappointment" of the prospect of being dumped.

"No Kenji please… don't make me do that… please.." She's practically begging the man.

"If you don't get up, and follow me into the toilets right now, we're over!"

Yui takes three deep breaths before looking up at him, a small spark of defiance showing through like the spark that starts a forest fire. She shakes her head.

"I won't."

Kenji looks at her in disbelief. _I've already hit her once… what else can I do but end it…_

"Fine! You're nothing without me Yui, you'll be a wreck in a week, and dead by the end of the month!"

Yui glares at him, the defiant spark shining through her eyes 'til it's all that he can see in them.

Kenji turns and walks away. After he's gone Yui lets a small smile grace her lips. Her plan, had worked to a tee…

Hirasawa residence 9:30am 

Yui walks through the door with a sigh. Ui looks at her with concern

"Hey sis, how'd it go?"

Yui's downtrodden face broke out into a brilliant smile, one she hadn't used in a month.

"It went perfectly! He was so pissed at me he broke up with me right there in the park!"

Ui was confused… She had woken that morning to find her sister making some sort of casserole dish, thinking it was a little heavy for a breakfast meal she questioned Yui about it and at the time all she had said was "I'm having a picnic breakfast with Kenji."

Again Ui had noticed the lack of "kun" at the end of Kenji's name, but again she had said nothing about it.

"Wait, you wanted him to break up with you..?"

"Yep, I did everything I could. I put the blanket down an hour before he got there, when the grass was still damp. I'm lucky it's such a cold day or that wouldn't have worked." Yui chuckles, silently thanking the Gods that she was graced with a cloudy and brisk morning.

"I was wondering why you were making a casserole with the ingredients you did… even you aren't _that_ culinarily ***** challenged…" Ui giggles to herself as she recalls her sister putting what looked like a whole cup of mayonnaise into the dish.

"Yeah. He said "It might look good but it tastes like you fished it out of the garbage." It took literally _all_ of my self-control to not lose my shit laughing right there!" Yui giggles mirthfully at the memory.

"You're taking a break-up pretty well sis…"

"I tricked him into breaking up with me so he wouldn't pine after me for months on end… You know as well as I do that he doesn't let things go until he wants to. Anyway, I need to get changed before I go to Shimada-kun's house for the rest of the morning. I'll see you later Ui."

Yui darts up the stairs to her room, eager to get out of her grass-stained tights. She splashes a little water onto her face as she fixes her hair in the bathroom; Kenji insisted she not wear her hairclips. He had a lot of conditions like that…

But now she was free of him she happily clipped her fringe back in place and looked at herself with a blissful smile.

Heading back downstairs she makes the not so short walk to Yuji's house.

Shimada residence 8:10am

Yuji and Azusa awoke at eight. Well… Yuji had awoken at seven-thirty and by eight he'd made the breakfasty ***** smells that woke Azusa and Akira.

Akira had eagerly plodded downstairs at the smell of wok-fried eggs and rice.

"Mornin' dad."

"G'morning son. Why've you made so much food… there's enough there to feed three people easily… well, maybe two and a half. Feeling hungry are you?"

Yuji chuckles as he's about to remind his father about their guest. Before he can however he's interrupted.

"I doubt it Akira-sama, he's probably just cooked for all three of us…"

Akira looks at the doorway to see Azusa standing in it with an amused grin on her face.

"Oh… Nakano-san… I'd forgotten you were here…"

Akira's suddenly feeling a little self-conscious, due to the fact that he, like his son; sleeps shirtless, and of course, he'd been so enthralled by the prospect of his son's well-seasoned eggs and rice, that he'd forgotten to put one on before coming down…

"Didn't I say to call me Azusa, Akira-sama?" Azusa gently chastises the older man with that smile still plastered to her face.

"You did… My apologies Azusa-san."

Azusa giggles, she's not used to hearing her first name coupled with that honorific.

"I must say Akira-sama, I'm impressed… You must spend a lot of time working out; you could probably do your laundry on those abs…" Azusa giggles again at the blush that graces the man's face.

"If you'll both excuse me I'm going to go get a shirt…" Now that he thinks on it he notices his son is already wearing a shirt. _Either he's more aware than I am, or he's made the mistake already…_

Akira walks abruptly from the room and can be heard plodding back up the stairs.

"He does Kendo and Karate. He does his Kata every night before bed, it helps him sleep." Yuji makes this explanation of his fathers physique while carrying two plates over to the table, placing them in front of two seats he turns back to the bench and brings over two bowls to accompany them.

"What, you don't save on dishes at your own house like you did at mine?"

"Dad's a traditionalist "Nothing goes on top of the rice, it might taint the taste." He insists I serve it like this."

"Too right, now let's eat. It smells too good to let it go cold." Akira's comment comes from the doorway as he re-enters the room, now appropriately clothed.

Azusa giggles again as she takes a seat. Yuji brings the third bowl and plate over together and places them at the head of the table, in front of his father.

"Itadakimasu." Azusa says with a smile at her boyfriend.

"Itadakimasu indeed." Akira nods in agreement before picking up a rather large piece of fried egg and popping it into his mouth with a sound of bliss.

Yuji chuckles at his father's antics. He does it every time; treating each meal Yuji cooks as though it's the first and reacting accordingly. It actually makes Yuji wonder if his mind is starting to go…

"Hey dad…"

"Yes son?"

"Do you remember what you told Azusa and I yesterday..?"

"Of course I do, how old do you think I am?" Akira looks at his son in disbelief.

Yuji laughs at his reaction before replying; "Well, you do have grey hair…"

Azura pipes up at this, coming to Akira's defence.

"So do you!"

Yuji turns to her, surprised at her sudden leap into the fray.

"Hey, mine's white. And I was born with it!"

"Wasn't your dad born with white hair too?"

"No I wasn't. He got his hair from his mother; he knows full well however that I dye my hair to match his…" Akira gives his son a meaningful glare.

"Only to hide the fact that it's going grey naturally…" Yuji mumbles before Azusa decides to change the subject.

"So Yuji, I was texting my mother last night…"

"And….?"

"I told her what Akira-sama said to us yesterday and she said that if it was that important to him than we could vid-chat them so you can ask before they get back…"

"Well, I guess we could, it would be nice to be able to tell the club we're dating at school tomorrow… it'll have to wait 'til later though, Hirasawa-senpai's coming to visit in about 10 minutes."

"Oh she is, is she? You're lucky this lonely old man doesn't mind being surrounded by high school girls or I might just tell you to take your meeting elsewhere…"

"Daaaad that's… icky…"

"Icky? What's icky about enjoying the energetic nature of high school students?"

"You didn't say students before you specified high school girls."

"What do you expect Yu-kun, he's a dude… and our club's full of cuties."

Yuji looks at Azura in surprise. "Suddenly you're so confident in your appearance…"

Azusa shrugs. "What can I say; I learn fast. You say I'm cute and I believe you so now I know I'm cute."

She smiles at Yuji as he stands and clears the table of the now empty bowls and plates.

A knock at the door saves him from having to reply.

"Azusa could you go and get my violin for me?"

"Sure." She hops up and follows him out of the kitchen, heading upstairs to his room while he answers the door.

"I'll just stay here shall I…?" Akira mumbles his comment under his breath, put out by his sudden seemingly invisible state.

"Ok Yui-senpai, let's see this sheet music." Yui hands the sheet of paper to Yuji with a smile.

"Is it supposed to cascade like this?"

"Cascade..?" Yui tilts her head in confusion.

"Well it starts out rising then it falls, like a pattern, and then it rises again."

"Oh, you mean is it supposed to repeat itself like that? Yeah, it's just a back-track Yuji-kun; it's not the star of the song. It's mostly there to add drama to the song."

"Well, it'll definitely do that, at the tempo you've given it, it's going to sound like the theme tune for Jaws…"

"Oh... I don't want it that slow I just wasn't sure what tempo to put it at.. Maybe double it?"

"Alright, that'll sound better."

"I'm impressed Yuji-kun. That you can hear it without playing it… you must be really good on the violin…"

"I am. I've been playing since I was six and I've been playing well since I was eleven."

Azusa, content to simply listen while Yuji and their senpai talk, is surprised that his improvement _coincided_ with his mother's passing, almost like he got better for her…

Yuji picks up his violin and plays the song at the twice-tempo as Yui requested.

"That's a little too fast Yu-kun; maybe drop it back to 1.5?"

Yuji nods in acquiescence while slowing his playing to the requested tempo.

"Perfect, think you can have this mastered at this tempo before our show next week?"

"Yui-senpai, it's one bar of music that repeats itself for three minutes… I think I've got it. Our show's Wednesday by the way."

"I know, I need to get Ritsu, Mio, Mugi and Mikeru in on this too, I need all six of you to help me with my two songs."

"No Hideyoshi?"

"Nope, one of the songs is for him, I want him to watch and listen, not be a part of it. If he's focused on playing the song he might miss the meaning…"

Kyoku residence Midday

Mikeru reacts to his phone ringing.

"Mikeru."

 _"Hey dude, think you can get a hold of Mugi-senpai and bring her to my place?"_

"Sure thing Yuj, why what's up?"

 _"Not much, bring your electric coffee table with you."_

Mikeru hangs up with a sigh. _I really wish he wouldn't call it that…_

Looking to his side he prods the sleeping form of Mugi, who he now knows to be totally Ecchi, trying to wake her up.

"Mugi-chan, wake up. Yuji wants us to go to his place."

Mugi rolls in her sleep and groans. "Five more minutes Mikki…"

"Nope, he wants us to get there ASAP, and I need your help carrying my stuff, there's too much for one person to carry."

"What? He wants you to bring your drums?"

"Nah, my keyboard and synthesiser. I guess he's planning on using it for the drums, maybe?"

Mugi sighs. "Fine, but I better get something from you for this mister!"

"You got plenty last night…" Mikeru mumbles.

"No more than I gave…" Mugi comments with a slight whine. Jokingly bowing at the blonde bombshell who's laying topless in his bed he replies;

"I'm sorry; I'll try harder next time."

The new couple makes their way to Yuji's house to join in on the mass practice that Hideyoshi has been left out of.

Shimada residence. 1:00pm

"So Yuji, what did you want all of us here for?"

Ritsu looks at her kouhai in confusion, seeing that all of HTT is there but not Yuji's entire band; Hideyoshi isn't there.

"Not me Ricchan, Yui-senpai wanted you all here so we could practise the songs she's written for the festival show."

"Right, nice work on that set up by the way Mikeru-kun. So, I've written two songs, I need all of you for the first song; _**Survivor**_. Azusa, Mio and Ricchan, you'll be singing back up. Yuji, you'll be on your violin, Azusa your guitar, Mio your bass, Mikeru-kun, you'll play the drums. And we'll have Mugi on the keyboard!"

Yui passes out the appropriate lyrics and sheet music.

"Why is the only word I say "What?"…" Ritsu glares at Yui.

"Because it adds spunk to the song Ricchan, and you have the most attitude!" Yui says this with a happy grin at her friend and Ritsu can't help but take the statement as a compliment.

"What about the other song Yui-senpai?"

"The other song is called **_Unconditionally_** , and I'll only need HTT for that, but Yuji-kun, you can take over the guitar if you want, that way I don't need to play and sing at the same time."

"Sure, I'll take over lead, no problems."

Yuji takes the sheet music that Yui hands him and goes upstairs to get his _**Fender Stratocaster.**_

"Ok, let's practise."

"Just a moment Yui-senpai, I need to go ask Yuji something."

Azusa heads upstairs after Yuji, meeting him in the hall outside of his bedroom.

"Hey Azusa, it looks like we'll be practicing for most of the night, so did you want to go in on my laptop and call your parents, I'll be back in a minute I'm just going to take my guitar downstairs." Yuji smiles at the small girl in front of him.

Azusa's face lights up as he asks the very question she was about to. "Sure Yu-kun, I'll go do that now." She practically skips past him as he heads back downstairs.

"I'll be back in a minute guys, just need to go change my shirt."

Ritsu gives Yuji a knowing smile. "You couldn't do that before Azusa went up there?"

Yuji mirrors her smile back at her. "Of course not. Azusa's the one that asked me to change it."

The whole group looks confused at this comment. "Why?" Mio asks.

"You'll see." Yuji's enigmatic reply is slung over his shoulder as he heads back to his room.

"Yuji, this is my mother and father."

"Nice to meet you Otou-sama, Okaa-sama."

"Just as well mannered as you described Azusa."

"With a father like his, he has to be…" Azusa mutters in response to her mother's comment.

"You're lucky he has manners enough for the both of you." Her father glares playfully at her.

"Mom, dad. Yuji has something important to ask you both."

"Right." _This is it…_ Yuji thinks to himself. "Mr. and Mrs. Nakano, I'd like to ask your permission to begin dating Azusa…"

"You don't need our permission dear, Azusa's her own woman who can make her own choices, and she seems to have made a good one in you."

"Indeed, though you don't need our blessing, you certainly have it."

Azusa's parents nod in agreement.

"Now, we have to go dear, we have a meeting to get to in twenty minutes."

"Bye mom, dad. See you when you get home."

"Goodbye dears." Azusa's mother puts her hand to her mouth and then against the webcam in a gesture of farewell.

The screen having gone dark Yuji takes his shirt off and puts another one from his drawer on.

"Azusa, put this on." He hands Azusa the shirt he's just taken off.

"Why, I thought the morning after shirt was a booty-call thing?"

"Not only, it's also a commitment thing, besides it'll be funny when we get downstairs, they're all wondering why you wanted me to change my shirt."

"But I didn't tell you to change your shirt…"

"I know, but if you go down there wearing this they'll think that you wanted me to take it off so that you could put it on…"

"Oh… alright than. It does look comfortable…" Azusa takes the shirt from Yuji's hand and turns around slipping her shirt over her shoulder Yuji blushes and turns after noticing that she's not wearing a bra.

"What is it with you and being topless around me?" He asks playfully over his shoulder.

"You'd better not be peeking back there Yuji!"

"I won't, but it's nice to know how easy they are to get to…"

"… What do you mean?" Azusa asks with a blush.

"Well, all I've got to do is take your shirt off and…" Yuji smiles at the image if the colour Azusa's face is undoubtedly turning right now.

"Let's just get downstairs!" Azusa blusters, once again embarrassed by her boyfriend's antics.

Back downstairs the group spends the rest of the day in Yuji's garage practising Yui's two songs.

"So Ricchan, what's Satoshi up to?"

"Not much, he's found himself a girlfriend."

"Really? Seems going to big sisters high school worked out well for him huh?" Yuji smiles at Ritsu over the bow of his violin.

As Ritsu gives him a jokingly disgusted look he starts up the cascading notes that are the intro to Survivor and the four girls begin to sing as they fall into their fifth repetition of the song that day.

9:30pm

"We should probably be heading home soon… after all, we have other songs to practise and we should all get some dinner into us."

Mio smiles at the group as she suggests this.

"Sure, we'll see you guys at school tomorrow Azusa, Yuji."

"Bye guys."

Azusa and Yuji see their guests out and head into the kitchen to find Akira sat at the table.

"You haven't seriously been there since breakfast have you?" Yuji asks his father with a look of incredulity.

Akira glares at him. "Of course not! I got up to pee about an hour ago…"

"…. Other than that?"

Akira smiles at his little joke. "I did the laundry, the dishes and got dinner started. It's in the oven and has about ten minutes to go."

"Oh, that's ok then…"

 **A/N; So that was Akira... let me know what you guys think of him ^_^ He's another OC by the way :3**


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